THE BOOK OF FIRST JOHN

THE BOOK OF FIRST JOHN
Copyright Š 2006 Trumpet Ministries, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL
VERSION. Copyright Š 973, 1978,
1984 International Bible Society. Used by
permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.

There are several emphases in the Book of First
John. One of the primary emphases is the exhortation to Christian people to cease sinning, to
keep the commandments of Christ. When we walk in the light of Gods will we
have fellowship with God and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, purifies us
from all sin.

There are several errors in Christian thinking at the
present time. I believe the primary misunderstanding has to do with the nature
of the Divine salvation.

The concept is that we are saved by placing our faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ. This is true, although placing our faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ often is defined as accepting mentally the theological facts concerning
Christ. Mental acceptance of the facts of theology, even though absolutely
correct, is not salvation. They are an orientation to the process of
salvation.

The primary misunderstanding, however, has to do with the
goal of placing our faith in Christ. The goal is seen as eternal residence in
the spirit Paradise (Heaven) after ones death. Eternal residence in Heaven is
not the goal of salvation; neither is escape from Hell. People are invited to
believe in Jesus Christ so after they die they will not go to Hell but to
Heaven. "There is a Heaven to gain and a Hell to shun."

This perception of what Christ is all about misses the
point. We come to Christ for the purpose of being forgiven, and then
transformed morally. Escape from Hell results from moral transformation, not
from belief in Christ. Entrance into the Paradise of God results from moral
transformation, not from belief in Christ.

I am aware the package is not as neatly defined as this, but
the essence of what I am saying is true.

Because we view belief in Christ as a ticket to admit us to
Heaven (where many sinners would not want to go if they knew what Heaven is
like), we do not place nearly enough emphasis on being made new creation in
Christ. "Just get us to Heaven. It doesnt matter how we behave."

One can see immediately the folly of contemporary thinking.
If Heaven were filled with unchanged people it would not be Heaven, would it?

We recognize that somehow at some point people must be
transformed morally, otherwise Paradise would be no different from what we are
experiencing now. There still would be the problem of destructive
relationships; and where there are destructive relationships there can be no
"Heaven."

I think people are aware intuitively that "when we get to
Heaven there will be no sin." But how do they account for this?

By virtue of the fact that after we die we cannot sin
anymore? There is no passage of Scripture that tells us we cannot sin after we
die. Sin began in Heaven. Sin is basically spiritual in nature. Flesh and
blood are morally neutral. It is the sinful nature that causes us to sin
against God and people, and the sinful nature is spiritual. After we die we
are judged. No passage of which I am aware states that after we die physically
we are set free from sin.

Some have theorized that when the Lord returns He will
remove the sinful nature from us. There is no Scripture for this either. When
the Lord returns we will receive the good we have done and the bad we have
done. Remember the parable of the talents!

Telling people that if they "accept Christ" they will not be
held responsible for their actions produces immoral behavior. If we inform an
individual that if he will take "the four steps of salvation" he will not be
held accountable for his behavior, how do you think he is going to behave?

The reason worldly scientists and teachers embrace the
hypothesis of evolution is that they do not want to be held accountable for
their actions after they die. They dont want there to be a God!

Does the Bible tell us at what point the Lord is going to
deal with the sinful nature of His people?

Yes, it does. In the thirteenth chapter of the Book of
Matthew the Lord informs us that in the last days the messengers of God will
remove all sin and sinners from His Kingdom.

As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it
will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and
they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do
evil. (Matthew 13:40,41)

At the end of the age the messengers will be sent out to
remove from Christs Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.

I understand contemporary theologians will insist that the
above passage does not apply to Christians because we are "saved by grace." By
this they mean God will permit sin in His Kingdom because of grace. They
simply are not thinking clearly. But the modern doctrine of "grace" (which we
are not interpreting as Paul meant it) is so deeply rooted, so appealing to
the human being, that only those who are fervent disciples of the Lord Jesus
will be able to escape its destructive influence.

There are passages in the Book of First John that flatly
deny the current doctrine of "salvation by faith alone." No matter how one
twists and turns, he cannot maintain that we can continue in sin and still
have fellowship with God, and declare at the same time that he believes the
Book of First John is the inspired Word of God.

Salvation is a process, not a belief system. The process of
salvation moves us from Satan to God. It destroys out of us the sinful nature
and replaces the sinful nature with the Substance and Nature of Jesus Christ.
Also it teaches us concerning the Person of God, the ways of God, the will of
God, and Gods eternal purpose in Jesus Christ.

God absolutely requires that all saved people perform His
will completely and perfectly. We do not arrive at such obedience in a moment,
but this always is our goal. As long as there is disobedience in us, there is
darkness and death in us. Obedience to God, righteousness, and resurrection
life are parts of one whole. That whole is Christ.

Hopefully as we look closely at the text of the Book of
First John we will notice the emphasis on keeping Christs commandments. We
will see also the mechanism that forgives our sin, and then removes the sinful
nature from us.

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard,
which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have
touchedthis we proclaim concerning the Word of life. (I John 1:1)

The Lord Jesus Christ was in the beginning with God and
partook of the Deity of God. All things were made by Him, including all the
heavens and all of its creatures, and after that the physical creation and its
creatures.

John and his fellow apostles heard the Word made flesh. They
saw Him. Their hands touched Him. This made them true witnesses of the Son of
God.

It is interesting that John refers to Christ as "the Word of
life." We need to emphasize this aspect of Christ more than we do. He Himself
is the Resurrection. He Himself is the Life of God.

Our religion presents the Divine salvation as escape from
Hell and residence in the spirit Paradise. The truth is, whether we end up in
Hell or in Heaven depends on the way we have behaved ourselves, not on our
religious beliefs. The wicked belong in Hell and the righteous belong in
Heaven. I think we forget this sometimes in our effort to make proselytes.

If, when you think about the Lord, you picture escape from
Hell, then you have an incorrect perspective. You should be thinking about
Divine Life.

All of us descendants of Adam were born spiritually dead. We
are intelligent dust. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Tree of Life. We come to
Him that we might escape sin and death and gain Divine Life. We gain a portion
of life initially when we first receive Him as our Savior. Then each day
spiritual darkness and death, and spiritual light and life, struggle for
dominion over our personality. We choose each day whether death or life gain
the victory.

The fact that we are fighting to lay hold on eternal life
needs to be emphasized more than it is. Numerous Christian people are at ease
spiritually, waiting to die and go to Heaven. Residence in Heaven is not the
goal, resurrection life is the goal. We have to gain Christ, as Paul said, in
order to attain to the resurrection that is unto eternal life.

The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we
proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared
to us. (I John 1:2)

"In Him was life, and the life was the light of men," John
wrote in his Gospel.

We usually do not think of life as being light, do we? We
have to ask ourselves, "What is light?" Light is that which enables us to
distinguish what is around us.

In the beginning of the physical creation, God separated the
light from the darkness. Since in the physical world darkness is nothing more
than the absence of light, the fact that God separated the light from the
darkness implies that we are speaking of something more than physical light.

I think prior to the physical creation, the angels were
ignorant of moral law. They had no experience with right or wrong, perhaps,
until Satan rebelled against the Father. They were unable to distinguish what
was good and what was evil in their moral environment. They had no "light."

God then chose Christ, separating Him from the angels that
Christ Himself had created. Christ loved righteousness and hated wickedness.
God established Christ as God, saying, " Your throne, O God, will last for
ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom."

Thus Christ became our God whom we are to obey and worship;
He also became our Light.

When there is light we can see with our eyes the facts of
our physical environment. But it is only as the Life of Jesus Christ is formed
in us that we can discern good and evil. In this manner His life is the light
of men.

The Life of Christ is formed in us as we turn away from the
acts of the sinful nature, putting them to death through the Holy Spirit, and
then are fed the flesh and blood of Christ in the spirit realm.

We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so you also
may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with
his Son, Jesus Christ. (I John 1:3)

John wrote to us what he had seen and heard so we could have
fellowship with him, with the Father, and with the Son.

The reason we receive Christ as our Savior is that we may
have fellowship with the Father and with Christ. By making mansions in Heaven
our goal, we have missed the point. Our goal is not an expensive dwelling in
the spirit realm, it is fellowship with God. From what we hear the believers
say we might conclude they are more interested in the material wealth they
hope to receive when they die than they are in the Persons of God and Christ!
How this must disappoint the Lord!

Fellowship with God is an important concept. If we make
going to Heaven our goal, and grace as the means of getting there, then we are
not going to be able to resist the terrific compulsions to sin that exist in
our sinful nature and in the American culture.

But if our goal is fellowship with God and Christ, then we
realize instinctively we cannot continue in sin, using grace as our excuse.

I dont know, though, how reliable our instincts are
anymore. Today it is being taught that once we "accept Christ" God cannot see
our sins, He can see only the righteousness of Christ. Of course, there is no
basis in the Scriptures for this belief. But such a doctrine does make it
possible for us to have fellowship with God and still continue in sin.

Lets think about the consequences of the current doctrine
that God does not see our behavior, only the righteousness of Christ.

We can fornicate and commit adultery with abandon. It is
regrettable that we do, of course, but God is walking with us all the while.
He sees only the moral purity of Christ while we are fornicating and
committing adultery.

We can lie all we wish. God walks with us and has glad
fellowship with us while we are lying. He sees only the truth of Christ.

We can harbor hatred, bitterness, and unforgiveness against
a fellow Christian. There is no problem. God rejoices over us because He sees
Christ all the while.

I realize such a scenario is not drawn out like this
ordinarily, but it is the logical extension of current Christian teaching.

And then we wonder why America is having so much trouble
these days!

It is absolutely true that we come to Christ in the filthy
garments of our sinful nature. Christ spreads his royal robe around us and
accepts us as we are. Make no mistakethis is the truth, and it is preached
well in Christian churches.

The fatal error that is made is that this is the end of the
work of salvation. From now on God "accepts us in the Beloved." There is
nothing more to be done.

No doctrine could be better suited to demolish the Kingdom
of God!

The truth is, the moment we receive Christ, asking
forgiveness on the basis of the blood atonement, the Holy Spirit begins to
point out to us the sins we are committing. One by one, as the Holy Spirit
leads and empowers, we are to confess our sins to God, denouncing them and
turning away from them with all the strength we have. This is the process of
salvation, the program in which we are delivered from sin and changed into the
image of Jesus Christ.

As we are being delivered from the chains of sin we are
being drawn into the very Center of Gods Holy Being. This is where Jesus
always is, and this is where He is inviting us to abide. Our primary goal is
twofold: change into the image of Christ, and untroubled rest in the center of
Gods Person and will.

God can have fellowship with us even though we still are not
pure, as long as we are continuing in the program of transformation. The blood
of Jesus Christ enables God to overlook our darkness. We are on a detour while
the highway is under repair.

But if we are not becoming a new creation of righteous
behavior, if we are continuing in our worldly manner, not confessing and
renouncing our sins, then the blood no longer is making up the difference. We
are sinning willfully, and this God never will accept.

As long as we are cooperating with the Holy Spirit, we can
have fellowship with God. But when we are continuing in our old manner of
life, we cannot possibly have fellowship with God. Would we make God like
ourselves? This is what current teaching, in ignorance, is attempting to do.

We write this to make our joy complete. (I John 1:4)

I think one of the biggest hindrances to people who would
like the benefits of the victorious Christian life, but are afraid to step out
of the boat, so to speak, is that they picture a joyless existence. This may
be especially true of young people.

"If I give myself wholly to Christ, doing only His will,
confessing all my sins, I wont have any fun." Also, there are Christians who
do not believe it is possible to do Gods will. "It is far too hard, and this
is why we have to be saved by grace."

These are lies of Satan. Gods way always leads to joy.
Satans way always leads to despair, corruption, and death.

This was the issue in the beginning, wasnt it? Satan
persuaded Eve she would be happier if she disobeyed God.

It is the way of the transgressor, not of the obedient
person, that is hard and painful.

Do victorious saints ever have pain, trouble, confusion,
severe crises? Most assuredly they do. But they also have a deeply settled
peace and assurance that joy will come eventually.

Do sinners ever have pain, trouble, confusion, severe
crises? Most assuredly they do. But they do not have a deeply settled peace
and assurance that joy will come in the morning.

Figure it out for yourself. What is the sensible path to
take?

This present world is a suburb of Hell. It is under the
Divine curse. There is no way we can make a paradise out of this world and
always be happy in this life except by forsaking our integrity and betraying
those who trust us. Even then life will catch up to us, and we will end up in
unbearable remorse.

After the new Christian has suffered for a while there come
peace and joy that the world cannot experience. Certainly discipline is
required. But the discipline leads to freedom from destructive urges. The
person who refuses to discipline his lusts, passions, and appetites will exist
in chains, having thirsts that never can be quenched.

Only in Jesus Christ is there lasting joy and peace in the
present world, although there also is tribulation. The healthy, growing
Christian accepts the deferral of his desires, noting that there always are
flowers to pick along the way. And in the end there is eternal love, joy, and
peace.

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to
you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have
fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the
truth. (I John 1:5,6)

The above two verses are the first of several passages that
warn the believer about walking in darkness, in sin. A warning concerning
continuing in sin is one of the primary emphases of this epistle.

There is no darkness in God. Darkness is that which is evil,
destructive, self-seeking, unmerciful, stubborn, treacherous, harsh,
vindictive, unforgiving. Light is that which is good, constructive, concerned
about the welfare of others, merciful, gentle, faithful, kind.

God is always just, always righteous. He dwells in a moral
purity not possible to adamic man except through the influence of Jesus
Christ.

Now notice: if we claim to have fellowship with God, and are
evil, destructive, self-seeking, unmerciful, stubborn, treacherous, harsh,
vindictive, and unforgiving, then we are lying. We are not of the truth.

But today we would say, "It does not matter because I am
saved by a sovereign grace. I can be self-seeking, unmerciful, and
unforgiving, yet I can have fellowship with God." According to the Bible we
are lying. We are not living by the truth.

Why would the Apostle John have to say this? Undoubtedly
because there were Christians even in his day who were interpreting the
Apostle Paul to mean we can walk in spiritual darkness and yet have fellowship
with God and be saved. Otherwise, why would he bring up this matter in this
fashion?

Todays Christian preaching and teaching is largely a lie.
We are leaving people with the impression they can behave like Satan and have
fellowship with the Lord, on the basis of grace. If this were true, why would
the Apostle John say such things?

No, we have been deceived and we need to repent and return
to the ways of righteousness and holiness. We need to stop telling people that
they can "accept Christ" and then they will go to Heaven by grace. We should
tell them instead that God will forgive them, but He insists they allow Him to
change their behavior.

We have not received the love of the truth, and so God has
sent a strong delusion on us. Will we recognize this before our nation is
destroyed?

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have
fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from
all sin. (I John 1:7)

Walking in the light means we are walking in the Presence of
the Father and doing His will. We are not practicing known sin. If we are
walking in the light we have fellowship with God.

If we are walking in Gods will and not practicing known
sin, the blood of Gods Son purifies us from all sin.

We have to think carefully about the word "purifies."

Does this mean if we are obeying God to the best of our
knowledge the blood is forgiving the sins of which we are ignorant? I think it
means this.

What if we as a Christian are not walking in the light of
Gods Person and will, does the blood of Jesus forgive our sins? I dont think
verse seven supports this common viewpoint.

Is there an inkling here that the blood of Gods Son also
purifies us from our sinful nature? I think so. It is my opinion that as we
continue to walk in the light, turning away from the acts of the sinful
nature, the blood of Christ not only forgives all of our sins but also begins
the long process of destroying our sinful nature. If this were not true, then
we forever would be bound with sin and forced to live in an untransformed
moral state, injuring everyone around us.

The blood of the Lamb of God is the Divine Virtue that saves
us.

The blood of the Lamb of God protects us and our family when
Gods judgments are in the land.

The blood of the Lamb of God makes an atonement for our sins
so Gods justice is upheld, and his wrath is pacified.

The blood of the Lamb of God works with the Spirit of God in
destroying our sinful nature, removing it from us.

The blood of the Lamb of God, along with His flesh, nourishes
and builds up the Substance and virtue of Christ in us.

The blood of the Lamb of God and His flesh are our
resurrection life in us and will make alive our mortal body in the last day.

I believe God wants us totally free from the bondages of
sin, and if we keep turning away from the acts of our sinful nature, as the
Holy Spirit guides and empowers us, the time will arrive when we are totally
free from the compulsions of sin. And why not? Is our sinful nature anything
more than a finite number of nasty little bondages? Are we an inexhaustible
well of corruption? I dont think so.

Even if we were an inexhaustible source of darkness, there
is so much power in the Lord Jesus Christ He could enable us to escape from
this dungeon of corruption.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the
truth is not in us. (I John 1:8)

There have been Christian movements that have professed to
be freed from sin root and branch, on the basis of a single experience. I
think this is doubtful. My own experience of moral deliverance has been little
by little, line upon line, command upon command. I know there still is
darkness in me, but nothing like what was true when I began on the way of
repentance.

I can see definite progress over a period of years. I can
see that I am becoming a new creature. Can Christ finish the work in me? I
believe He can. Can He finish the work in you? I believe He can. But we are
going to have to stop using Gods grace as an alternative to righteous
behavior.

We Christians have a sinful nature in us. This is a
scriptural and observable fact. But the solution is not to wave the wand of
grace and pretend God does not see what we are doing. The solution is to
follow the Holy Spirit each day as He guides and enables us in the program of
redemption, which consists in part of recognizing our sins, confessing them as
such, and turning away from them with all the vigor we can muster.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will
forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (I John 1:9)

Every once in a while we come across a verse in the Bible
that sums up the operation of redemption in a practical manner. I John 1:9 is
one such verse.

"If we confess our sins." Confession is more than a silent
acknowledgment. It is a proclamation made before God, and sometimes in the
presence of people if the circumstances indicate, that we have committed a
sin.

The problem with the Catholic confessional, as I understand
it, is it can become merely a listing of what we have done. Then we are
instructed how to make an atonement for our sins. However, we do not need to
make an atonement. The atonement has been accomplished on the cross. What we
must do is to pray until God gives us the strength to turn away from our
sinful behavior. I may be mistaken but I think the Catholic confessional
assumes there can be no true deliverance

We must be specific. "I have lied; I have stolen; I have
cheated on my wife; I have spoken hatefully; I have unforgiveness in my heart;
I am addicted to drugs, or alcohol, or cigarettes; I am addicted to
pornography; I have molested my child; I have slandered someone; I am covetous
and am not praying, not reading my Bible, and not using my talents in the
Kingdom of God."

You have to be clear and merciless. You actually are judging
the enemy that is in you. If you are clear and decisive, the spirit realm will
hear you. You must be diligent and vigorous when you are confessing a sin to
God.

You must be specific. It does no good to announce that you
are a miserable sinner. Everyone knows that, including God and Satan. Rather
you have to cite the actual sinful behavior so an act of judgment takes place.

When you straightforwardly specify what you have done, God
is faithful and just. He will forgive what you have confessed and purify you
from all unrighteousness.

Now think for a moment. If by "purify you from all
unrighteousness" God meant "forgive you of all unrighteousness," then the
verse would be saying God is faithful and just to forgive you and to forgive
you. This is what I meant by saying the term "purify" as used here means more
than merely forgive. It means God will begin to deal with your sinful nature.

Your sin is forgiven instantly. However, purification from
all unrighteousness requires a period of time for its accomplishment. You have
to walk it out with the Holy Spirit. You have to work out your salvation with
fear and trembling. Your salvation includes the destruction of your sinful
nature. Christ came to destroy the works of the devil, not just forgive them.
And we can thank God for that!

If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar
and his word has no place in our lives. (I John 1:10)

The sixth chapter of the Book of Romans tells us to count
ourselves dead to sin. I think this exhortation is sometimes viewed as meaning
that once we count ourselves crucified with Christ we no longer are tempted to
sin; or if we do sin it doesnt matter.

But the truth is, we are not to claim we have not sinned.
Rather we are to confess our sins. This does not mean confess we are a sinner
or confess that we used to be a sinner. It means todayright nowwhen we as a
Christian sin we are to confess that sin so the Holy Spirit can deal with it.

For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will
die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will
live, (Romans 8:13)

God does not want us to pretend we are not sinning. Nor does
He want us to take the attitude it does not matter if we are sinning. God
wants us to confess our sins, when they are brought to our attention, and stop
committing them.

I know the accuser will say it is not possible for us to
gain victory over sin. He is lying. It is entirely possible. Not only is it
possible to gain victory over sin, it is absolutely necessary if we are to
inherit the Kingdom of God. There is no sin in the Kingdom of God!

We have been taught for so long that sin is an impossible
monster that no one can confront successfully. Therefore, many Christians do
not take advantage of the power there is in Jesus Christ. They dont even try
to gain victory.

I guess the best procedure is to do what I John 1:9 states and
see if God will give you victory. Its worth a try, isnt it? You might be
very pleasantly surprised!

My dear children, I write this to you so you will not sin.
But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our
defenseJesus Christ, the Righteous One. (I John 2:1)

Now here is a decent and practical Christian attitude. God
does not want us to sin. When we do sin, Christ prays for us.

There is an assumption here, I believe, that sinful behavior
is not to be regarded as acceptable behavior. The idea is that we are not to
sin. But if we do stumble, Christ defends us through intercessory prayer. As
far as I can see, there certainly is not a hint here of a defeated attitude,
nor a suggestion that we are doomed to keep on sinning. The exception occurs
when we sin. "If anybody does sin." And I think this is healthy. We are not to
sin, but if we are overtaken in a sin, then we know Christ will intercede for
us.

By the same token, if we are living a careless Christian
life, not caring whether or not we sin, then we cannot expect that Christ will
pray for us. Why should he? We are not doing our part by confessing and
turning away from our sins We are not putting them to death through the Holy
Spirit.

He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for
ours but also the sins of the whole world. (I John 2:2)

Christ made an atonement for the sins of the whole world.
Think of it? An atonement has been made for everyones sins. The guilt of sin
no longer is an issue. The issue is the removal of the sinful nature from the
creation.

Have everyones sins been forgiven? Potentially, yes.
Actually, no. Why not? Because we have to ask for the forgiveness to be
applied to us.

So it is with every aspect of redemption. We cannot assume
because some work of redemption has been mentioned in the New Testament it
automatically applies to us. However, Christians often do this.

For example, the New Testament says if anyone is in Christ
he is a new creation. All the old has passed away. All is new and of God.

Christians suppose once they have accepted the salvation
formula they are a new creation. It isnt so. To become a new moral creation
in Christ requires years of patient cooperation with the Holy Spirit.

Another example is Pauls statement that he is crucified
with Christ, nevertheless He lives. Yet not he, but Christ lives in him.
Christians believe this is true of them because they have "accepted Christ."
Paul is speaking of a maturity gained through years of tribulations. It may be
a fact that few Christians have attained to that exchanged life.

Yes, the atonement has been made for all. But the atonement
applies only as we lay hold on it. The same is true for all other dimensions
of redemption. We are to take nothing for granted, but are to go to God and
ask that the coveted blessing might be applied to us. If we will keep on
praying, God will keep on answering.

God likes to be asked!

We know we have come to know him if we obey his commands. (I
John 2:3)

I dont think you would hear this preached very often in the
American churches: the only way we can be sure we have come to know Christ is
if we are obeying His commands.

The Lord Jesus said this several times. He said, "If you
love me, keep my commandments."

The Lord Jesus commanded us to love one another. He
commanded us also to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. He
talked to us about forgiving those who sinned against us. He advised us to not
worry about our life, what we are to eat and drink. He cautioned us about
judging other people. He invited us to ask, seek, and knock that we might
obtain from God what we need.

In addition, the Lord added numerous commandments through
the writings of His Apostles.

The present preaching of the Gospel leaves one with the idea
that we are not expected to keep the commandments of Christ; that it is not
possible to keep them and so we must be saved by grace. This attitude is
contrary to the statements of the Apostle John, and Christ Himself.

The fullest expression of the new covenant occurs when we
keep Gods eternal moral laws on the basis of the holy, obedient Nature of
Christ having been formed in us. But this inner expression cannot possibly be
attained to unless we first, in our adamic nature, pray each day that we might
gain the strength to do what the New Testament commands.

I think the problem arises in part from the concept of
Dispensationalism. This is a philosophy that teaches that the new covenant is
entirely different from the old covenant: the Jews had to keep the
commandments of the Old Testament, but under the new covenant we are not
obligated to keep the commandments of Christ and His Apostles because these
commandments are there only to show us our need to be saved by grace.

There has been a change in dispensation, this unscriptural
philosophy postulates. The Gentile Church (an unscriptural entity) will be
brought to Heaven by grace, a salvation not revealed in the Old Testament. Can
you imagine cutting the Bible in two like this?

Dispensational thought indeed is a horrendous error. The
difference between the two covenants is not that God has changed His mind
about the necessity for godly behavior on the part of His children. The
difference is that under the new covenant the eternal moral law of God is not
written on tables of stone but on our mind and heart. Why? So we dont obey
Gods moral laws? Such confusion! No. So we will obey them from a transformed
nature.

I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in
them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of
flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They
will be my people, and I will be their God. (Ezekiel 11:19,20)

God gave us a new heart and a new Spirit so we will follow
His decrees and be careful to keep His laws. Why else would He give us a new
covenant?

As I said, the transformed nature will not be developed
unless we read the New Testament and, through the guidance and enablement of
the Holy Spirit, do what we have been commanded.

The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he
commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (I John 2:4)

When I read these words of John I gain the impression that
there must have been some people who were teaching, just as they do today,
that we can know Christ and have fellowship with Him without doing what He
commanded. "Why do you call me Lord! Lord! and dont do what I say?" This sort
of thing. Building our house on the sand by not doing what He instructed us to
do.

So the Apostle John is telling us that those who preach
faith alone, apart from keeping Christs commandments, are liars. The truth is
not in them. They have been deceived. As a result we have spiritual babies in
many of our churches who do not know the difference between good and evil; who
have neither the strength nor the willingness to embrace the good and reject
the evil. Yet, according to the writer of the Book of Hebrews, such knowledge,
willingness, and strength are what it means to grow in Christ.

But if anyone obeys his word, Gods love is truly made
complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: (I John 2:5)

How do we know we are in Christ? We know we are in Christ to
the extent we obey what He said.

Sometimes it is maintained that there is nothing we can do
about sin, we have to wait until Christ comes and delivers us. With this
attitude we will wait until we die in a nursing home and never be delivered!.

There are numerous sins Christians commit that they can just
stop doing.

We can stop lying if we want to. We can stop committing
adultery if we want to. We can stop swearing if we want to. We can stop
gossiping if we want to. We can stop criticizing if we want to.

Sometimes there are powerful demonic bondages, such as
homosexual behavior; watching pornography on the Internet; smoking; drinking
beer or whiskey; doing drugs. Believers may find such bondages overwhelming.
They wish they could stop but they are tightly bound. They are the slaves of
these sins.

The thing to do is to name the bondage clearly. Decide in
your heart that you really want to get rid of it. Then go to people you trust
and ask for prayer.

There is no bondage that will not yield to the power of
Christ. The reason Christians continue to be bound is that they are not
certain they really want to be delivered. As long as that is true, no amount
of prayer will prevail, in most instances.

You see, we dont get tough enough with our sins. If you are
going to make progress in deliverance, you have to be desperate, vehement, and
determined. You have to come against the behavior with all the strength you
possess, in the meanwhile calling on the name of Jesus for help. When you do
this, you will be delivered!

Perhaps you have a pet, or work with animals. You may have
found out that animals will not obey you until you show them that you are
determined. It is the same way with the demons. If you are double-minded you
will get nowhere.

Do you want to remain bound? Then you will remain bound even
if you are prayed for. However, you can always pray for the desire to be
delivered.

Do you want to be delivered? You can, through the Lord Jesus
Christ, from every sin that you are willing to confess and renounce. The Lord
is waiting for you, just like He waits for the sinner to receive the atonement
already provided for him or her.

Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. (I
John 2 6)

Here is another verse that sums up the Christian redemption,
and sums up the Book of First John as well.

I understand Christ was born without a sinful nature, His
Father being God. I understand He came down from the ivory palaces. I
understand He was with the Father from the beginning.

How then can we walk as Jesus did? By doing what He did,
which was to pray and find out from the Father what He was do, and then to
trust the Father for wisdom and strength to perform His ministry.

We can do this, even though we were born with a sinful
nature; even though we did not come down from Heaven; even though we were not
with the Father from the beginning.

We can, and must, pray and find out from Christ what we are
to do. Then we are to trust Christ at every moment for wisdom and strength to
serve in the manner He desires.

Can we do this? Of course we can. It is just as easy to pray
and find out what we are to do, and to trust Christ at every moment for wisdom
and strength to serve in the manner He desires, as it is to make up our own
mind what we are to do and to trust in our own wisdom, talents, and experience
to accomplish what we want during the day.

It is just as easy to look to Christ for everything as it is
to live according to our own wisdom and desires. We have to choose one way or
the other. They do not mix readily.

So if we claim to be living in Christ, abiding in Him, then
we must choose to look to Christ at all times rather than to our own
resources. It is as simple and straightforward as this.

Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old
one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message
you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him
and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already
shining. (I John 2:7,8)

I believe John is saying the same thing that the Apostle
Peter said, concerning the Morning Star.

And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and
you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark
place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. (I Peter
2:19)

We must keep in mind that John and Peter had strong Jewish
backgrounds. They both were writing to Christians, no doubt both Jewish and
Gentile by race.

Since the New Testament had not been formulated by this
time, I expect by "this old command" John was referring to the Old Testament,
just as Peter mentioned "the word of the prophets."

Paul admonished Timothy to take heed to the Jewish
Scriptures.

And how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures,
which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting
and training in righteousness, so the man of God may be thoroughly equipped
for every good work. (II Timothy 3:15-17)

By "all Scripture" Paul meant the Old Testament.

Here is one of the destructive effects of the teaching of
Dispensationalism. We are not directed toward the Old Testament as a source of
guidance and strength. In any case, the Old Testament is minimized.

The truth is, however, except for the specific statutes of
the Law of Moses, the Old Testament is food for us. Its exhortations for us to
turn away from sin and embrace righteousness are as valid today as when they
were written. But Dispensationalism would tell us such exhortations are
meaningless to us today because we are "saved by grace." You can see what a
horrendous error this is, what loss we have suffered by cutting us off in this
manner from the Word of God found in the Old Testament.

So the Apostle John, by "old command" probably meant the Old
Testament. That is the message of God they had heard.

Now, however, we have the Words of Jesus Christ and His
Apostles. And as we pay attention to the Old Testament, as Peter exhorted us,
and also to the New Testament which we now have, the Morning Star, Jesus
Christ, rises in our heart.

Both the Old and New Testaments are as "a light shining in a
dark place" until the eternal Word is written in our mind and heart; until
Christ, the living Word, is formed in us.

Sometimes we get ahead of the program. We try to grow in
Christ without paying enough attention to the Old and New Testaments. We do
not meditate in Gods Word day and night. We do not seek to obey what we find
therein. As long as this is true, the Bright and Morning Star, Jesus Christ,
will never rise in our hearts.

The contemporary teaching of "grace" is a snare and a
delusion. It has destroyed the witness of the Christian Church.

At the very moment that I am writing (2003), the Anglican
Church, second only to the Roman Catholic Church in members, is divided over
the issue of homosexual marriage and ministry. This tells me that a
significant number of our Anglican brothers are not meditating in Gods
written Word. If they were, they would know homosexual behavior is condemned
in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Consequently the Morning Star
will never rise in their hearts, not by grace, mercy, or any other means. Only
a turning to God in sincere, diligent repentance can assure their salvation.

God cannot be mocked!

Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother
is still in the darkness. (I John 2:9)

When the Morning Star is arising in our heart, when the
Light of Jesus Christ is in us, we have no bitterness, hatred, or
unforgiveness in us.

Hatred, bitterness, and unforgiveness are widespread in the
Christian churches. People have been treated unjustly, in many instances.
After they have become a Christian, they find that unforgiveness and
bitterness are still present. Also, the believers sometimes are wounded in
their churches.

There is much criticizing, gossiping, slandering among the
Christian people.

God wants us to be delivered completely from all these forms
of murder. We indeed can be delivered by the power and Virtue of the Lord
Jesus Christ. But we have to ask for deliverance and really desire to be
delivered.

There are wounds that go very deep. Many Christian women,
and probably some men, were molested as children. Sometimes by relatives or
even ministers of the Gospel, so great is our apostate condition. On other
occasions there has been a husband that verbally abused his wife, or a wife
that ran off with another man.

All of this hatred must be cleansed from us totally. This
would not be possible were it not for the blood of the Lamb of God. There is
so much power and so much virtue in the blood of the Lamb of God that it can
remove every particle of hatred, unforgiveness, bitterness, revenge, and
animosity from the human heart.

Ask God to apply the blood to the unforgiveness and
bitterness in your heart. Tell the Lord you want to be totally free from it.
Or, ask the Lord to make you want to be totally free from it. His blood will
prevail against the darkness of Satan in your personality and you will go
free.

Try it and see! But know this. If you do not seek
deliverance, if you do not seek release from the desire for revenge, if you do
not wash your heart in the blood of the Lamb, you will lose part or all of
your inheritance in the Lord. Then the person will have hurt you twice!

You do not have to return to the same situation and permit
yourself or your children to be injured again. Keep away from the offender as
much as you can. God will help you to do this. Do not allow yourself to become
masochistic thinking that this will make you a saint. Just get your own heart
right, and then ask God to deliver you and your children completely from these
abusive circumstances.

Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is
nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the
darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going,
because the darkness has blinded him. (I John 2:10,11)

John is saying much about light and darkness, isnt he? When
we walk in the light we have fellowship with God. When we permit spiritual
darkness to reside in us we do not have fellowship with God and the blood of
Jesus Christ, His Son, does not purify us from all sin.

So much of salvation depends on our being diligent! Remember
the parable of the ten virgins and of the talents? In both instances the issue
was one of diligence versus carelessness. The consequences of being careless
were terrifying. In the case of the foolish, careless virgins, they were shut
out of the wedding. In the case of the foolish, careless man who buried his
talent, his talent was given to another and he was put out into the darkness.

Actually I think some of this activity may be going on
today. People who have not been careful to keep themselves full of the life of
God are not entering the wonderful steps forward available today. Others are
having their abilities removed from themand they do not even realize it
because they are blind, having been put out into the spiritual darkness.

So if we are yielding to hatred, or bitterness, or
unforgiveness, we need to take care of this problem immediately, just as we
would a cancer in our body. We are to go to the Lord and ask for His help, and
keep on asking until we obtain release from every particle of this darkness.
Otherwise we are going to miss the day of our visitation, and we will not
realize it until it is too late.

God is not pleased with laziness, carelessness, foolishness,
or the neglect of His salvation!

I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been
forgiven on account of his name. I write to you, fathers, because you have
known him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you
have overcome the evil one. I write to you, dear children, because you have
known the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is
from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the
word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one. (I John 2:12-14)

I believe we are speaking here of three age groups:
children, fathers, and young men. It is interesting that they should be
treated differently. But our experience in working with people tells us that
such a distinction is realistic and practical.

Young children vary widely in their awareness of the things
of God. John says their sins have been forgiven on account of the name of
Jesus. Also, that they have known the Father. We know also that Jesus said we
must become as children if we are to enter the Kingdom of God.

In our own church I marvel at the spiritual precocity of the
children. The things they say make me wonder if the generation coming up is
not special in the eyes of the Lord. Maybe because leaders are being born now,
Satan is emphasizing homosexuality and abortion. It reminds us of Herod
seeking to murder the Baby Jesus.

It would be awful, wouldnt it, to abort a developing child
who was destined to be a source of salvation for many people? Yet, people take
a chance on doing this when they have an abortion.

In our church we do not "talk down" to children. At the age
of six, or younger, we begin to plant the idea of serving the Lord. They are
not pushed to spiritual maturity; they have lots of opportunities to have fun
and do what children do.

We do not push them to "get saved." I notice that every once
in a while a child will ask to be baptized in water. I guess God speaks to
them. When they ask to be baptized, we trust the parents to determine if they
understand the significance. We do not put a lower age level on water baptism
because individual children are so different. It is when they ask, then we try
to find out if they understand what water baptism means.

We have had several instances where children have come down
to the altar to pray, especially during the Communion. When they do, I ask the
parents to come down also so the whole family can take Communion together at
the altar.

It is surprising how God deals with children if the pastor
provides a suitable environment for them during the service.

John tells us the sins of the children have been forgiven on
account of the name of Jesus, and they know the Father. I can believe this. I
worked with children for a number of years as a public elementary-school
teacher and principal. I have felt the hand of God on the little children,
even though I think few of them came from Christian homes.

Sometimes I believe an army of children would be more able
to defeat the enemy than would be the case with an army of "mighty men." The
Father is with children because they are naive and unsophisticated; although
in America the various media may be harming this innocence.

The smaller ones see the face of the Father because there is
no lie in them.

Their sins have been forgiven and they have known the
Father. How important it is that we who are older do not violate their
knowledge of God with our unholy behavior!

John wrote to fathers, older men in the faith, because they
have known Jesus.

After I left the Marine Corps I went to a Pentecostal Bible
school. I had been a Christian for about three years. I was impressed that the
older Christians knew the Lord in a way I did not.

That impression has stayed with me through the years.
Sometimes I refer to "old Brother Fullerton," an Assembly of God minister who
spoke at the Bible school. He really knew the Lord and was the first person I
ever heard speak of the "rest of God."

"Old Brother Fullerton" really made an impression on me. It
is difficult for me to realize I now am quite a bit older than he was at the
time.

Do I know the Lord now, at the age of 78? Maybe so.
Certainly not as much as I would like to. But I think I am getting there.

Sometimes I feel like I am surrounded by several people in
the spirit world. I wish I could see them more plainly. I have been asking the
Lord to let me know who they are. So far there has been no answer to my
prayer. But they are there!

Maybe I am getting ready to go home to be with Jesus.
Wouldnt that be wonderful! I know God will take care of my wife Audrey and my
sons, so I am at peace about that. Meanwhile I am spending hours each day at
the computer so every tiny bit of understanding the Lord has graciously given
me may be available to the generation coming up.

To know Him who has been from the beginning. This is the
greatest achievement possible while we are struggling to survive spiritually
in this sin-cursed world.

As far as the young men are concerned, they are strong; the
Word of God abides in them; and they have overcome the evil one.

We have several younger men in our church, ranging from the
ages of 16 through 50. I consider them all my sons. I can see that the Word of
God is growing in them. They have spiritual strength and are overcoming the
accuser of the brothers.

Hopefully they will continue, after I am gone, to grow ever
stronger in the Word of God and in victory over Satan. I believe they shall.

I am not certain where we are on the timetable of the Lord.
Two thousand years ago the Lord said He was coming quickly. Thinking about
what must be fulfilled before the historic return of Jesus Christ, I cannot
see how everything will have been completed in forty or fifty years.

Of one thing I am reasonably certain: I believe God is going
to sweep away the current traditions and open the Scriptures to His leaders.
The Lord promised that the Gospel of the Kingdom would be preached to every
nation for a witness, and then the end of the Church Age would be here.

The Gospel of the Kingdom of God has not been preached since
the days of the Apostles, as far as I know. What has been preached is the
gospel of Heaven. There is not much consciousness today that the Kingdom of
God actually will come to the earth; that Gods will actually shall be done in
the earth.

Well, God is restoring the Gospel of the Kingdom today, and
the accompanying message of personal righteousness of behavior. I noticed,
when I was in public-school work, that people change very slowly. Given the
enormity of the current error, I cannot see how Gods people will change from
the current "Heaven thinking" to "Kingdom thinking" in a short length of time.

No doubt the revival of Kingdom preaching we are hoping for
will be enabled through worldwide trouble. Also, there will have to be a
mighty anointing on those who preach the Gospel of the Kingdom if people are
to turn against hundreds of years of tradition.

But I know the change from Heaven thinking to Kingdom
thinking is going to take place. I just am not sure how or how long this will
take.

Meanwhile, I believe God will raise up young men who will
hold fast to the truth of God and will brave the storm of resistance, just as
did the pioneers of the Pentecostal message.

I think the change will move too swiftly for another
denomination to be formed. Instead I look for the witnesses of God to go forth
two by two, healing the sick, casting out demons, and proclaiming the soon
coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth.

I think my job is to write and teach what I believe God has
shown me so those coming after me will be able to reject the current
traditions and see what the Bible actually is saying.

The children, the fathers, and the young men all have their
place. But it will be the young men and women who will overcome the accuser of
the brothers by the blood of the Lamb; by the word of their testimony; and by
loving not their lives to the death.

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone
loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the
worldthe cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of
what he has and doescomes not from the Father but from the world. (I John
2:15,16))

There are three great areas of sin. All of the sons of God,
beginning with the Lord Jesus, are tempted along the same three lines: the
bread issue  finding survival and security in the world (the cravings of
sinful man); the pleasure issue  the lusts of the sinful nature (the lust of
the eyes); the achievement issue  seeking to make our mark in the world (the
boasting of what he has and does).

These three issues motivate us while living in the world.
None of them came from the Father but from the world.

That we should heap to ourselves material riches in order to
guarantee our survival and security is not of the Father. It is the Fathers
will that we seek first the Kingdom of God. If we do this, our material needs
will be satisfied.

That we should long after the pleasures that are found in
the palaces of the kings of the world, the lusts of the flesh, is not of the
Father. It is the Fathers will that we should find our pleasure in the Lord
Jesus Christ.

That we should seek to accomplish some great work is not of
the Father. To obey God perfectly is all the achievement we need. Should God
perform some notable accomplishment through us, that is fine. But we need to
remember that God is not impressed with how famous we are. God is impressed
only with faithfulness to Himself and His will.

The Lord Jesus Christ is not of this world and we are not to
be of this world. Believers sometimes warn us against being "so heavenly
minded we are no earthly good." Yet the Lord Jesus was totally heavenly
minded, and look at the good He did!

In any case, the Apostle Paul urged us to set our minds on
things above.

There is a religious "otherworldliness" which is
unprofitable. But to be totally occupied with Jesus Christ at all times,
faithfully performing our obligations while holding the world very lightly,
brings peace and joy that those scrabbling to obtain the worlds riches will
never know or understand.

We of the Christian churches need to be aware becoming part
of the world system destroys our spiritual strength, just as the cutting of
Samsons hair destroyed his supernatural strength. His long hair signified
Samsons separation unto God. We Christians are not to express arrogance and
spiritual superiority when we are with the people of the world. But we always
are to remember that we are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people
belonging to God in a special way. This should not make us arrogant, but
humble of heart and mind and ready to be of service.

The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does
the will of God lives forever. (I John 2:17)

There is one thing that always is truethe world is always
passing away along with its desires.

I learned something as a young man. There are times when you
desire something fervently, but for one reason or another it is not possible
for you to obtain what you want without going against Gods will.

After six months have passed and you think about what you
wanted so desperately, you realize you dont really care whether you ever have
it or not. In some instances you recognize that you would have brought pain to
yourself if you had insisted on doing what you desired.

Things that we desire desperately usually are idols. When
God has finished burning the desire out of you, you can take or leave what you
desired so passionately. Then you are free and you are not being governed by
an idol.

I know this is difficult to accept for a young person who is
aflame with one desire or another. He begins to think, "If I never get what I
want, what is the use of anything?"

What he doesnt realize is that God is removing bondages.

The Bible promises us the desires of our heart. When we do
the will of God we live forever, and we have forever to enjoy the desires of
our heart. The difference is that now we are not controlled by our desires,
our desires are controlled by us, and Christ controls everything.

The most joyous, peaceful state there is, is that in which
Gods will and our will is one will. There is nothing better than this in all
of creation.

Everyone who touches Jesus Christ lives forever. Noah is
still testifying to us. So is the woman who poured out the perfume on the feet
of Jesus. The flesh is a grand show today and perishes tomorrow. But whoever
does the will of God is forever alive and testifying of the faithfulness of
God.

Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard
that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is
how we know it is the last hour. (I John 2:18)

Today we have a manmade doctrine called the "pre-tribulation
rapture." The purpose of this invention is to bring the Church to Heaven
before the dreadful Antichrist appears, the ruler spoken of in Daniel.

I dont see how we can be brought up to Heaven before the
Antichrist appears, when the Apostle John, two thousand years ago, said many
antichrists have come. Do you?

I understand "The Antichrist" has not appeared as yet, the
man of lawlessness of whom the Apostle Paul spoke in Second Thessalonians. The
point is, the Apostle John and those he was addressing remained on the earth
in the midst of many antichristsand so shall we. It is sin we have to fear,
not the great tribulation or Antichrist!

And everyone said, "Amen! Brother Thompson."

Notice that the Apostle John refers to his time, 2,000 years
ago, as the "last hour." John knew he was in the "last hour" because of all
the antichrists who were present. The comment about the "last hour" reminds us
of the Lord Jesus saying He was "coming quickly." These kinds of statements
leave us with the impression calendar time is not much of an issue in the
spirit realm. We need to be cautious when we base our plans on the thought
that Jesus may come in a month or two.

If we are to obey the Lord we must keep ourselves instantly
ready to give an account to Him, and at the same time realize He may not
appear during our lifetime.

They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us.
For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their
going showed that none of them belonged to us. (I John 2:19)

John is saying the antichrists "went out from us," meaning,
I suppose, out from the Christian communities. This is a sobering thought,
isnt it, that the Antichrist will emerge from the Christian churches.

Churches will go along for a while, and then a group of
people will leave. You probably have had that experience. This creates a
social problem as friends declare they cannot agree with our doctrine, or our
liturgy, or something else we are doing.

The Apostle Paul tells us not to have fellowship with people
who leave our midst; but this often is difficult if not impossible to do. Yet
I have not seen good come from continuing to have fellowship with people who
have left our midst.

I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause
divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you
have learned. Keep away from them. (Romans 16:17)

Evidently church splits were a problem then as they are now.

I would not want to think harshly of or condemn people who
have left an assembly. Perhaps the Lord sees that they will prosper
spiritually in another setting. But it does not seem to be a good idea to
maintain close social contact with someone who has criticized the assembly and
persuaded other people to leave.

At the time John was writing the churches met in homes. I am
under the impression their social life was more integrated than is true of us
in America. So for a person to leave the assembly was a statement against what
had once been a close relationship. It probably is best for the members of the
assembly to not become involved socially with those who have left.

John says, "If they had belonged to us, they would have
remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us." I
think this is true. When a group of people leave an assembly, it is because
they do not belong there. Why, I couldnt tell you. It reminds us of David and
Jonathan being separated. Different callings possibly. Different levels of
consecration perhaps.

On at least four occasions in the Old Testament it is said
concerning someone who died, "He was gathered to his people." Have you thought
much about this? It may be true that the relationships we are building now
will persevere past the grave. I would not make too much of this, but I
believe it is a distinct possibility.

It reminds us of Paul saying to the believers, "You are our
glory and joy."

For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will
glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? Indeed,
you are our glory and joy. (I Thessalonians 2:19,20)

I realize the above passage is not speaking of life after
death but of the return of the Lord. Yet I think it is interesting how
relationships persevere. Dont you find it so?

There may be significance in whom the Lord permits to
worship together during this life; perhaps enduring families are being
established. There may be more than ordinary significance, as well, when a
group of people are in agreement that they do not belong with a particular
assembly of believers.

It is kind of like water seeking its own level, isnt it?

But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you
know the truth. (I John 2:20)

The only way we can identify the truth of the Scriptures is
by the anointing of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit has been charged by the Father
to gain a bride for His Son. Consequently the Holy Spirit is supposed to
manage all the activities of the Christian churches.

For two thousand years the hand of man has been on the
churches. Uzzah has been steadying the Ark. To the present hour,
well-intentioned religious leaders are attempting to build the Kingdom of God,
not knowing what they are doing.

People interpret the Book of Revelation, drawing timelines
and graphs as though the events of the book were arranged chronologically.

The Bible was written by holy men who were moved by the Holy
Spirit. Therefore it can be understood only by holy people who are moved by
the Holy Spirit. No scholar, no matter how devout, no matter how learned in
Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, can possibly understand the Bible. The Bible has
to be interpreted by the Spirit of God.

In Zechariah we are told that the completing of the eternal
Temple of God, the Christian Church, will be accomplished "not by might, nor
by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord." Yet we blithely ignore this truth
as we set about with our programs of salvation and church-building.

I have been a Christian for many years. I have come to the
conclusion that the Christian leaders may never turn to Christ and find out
what He wants. I hope I am incorrect in this; but it is discouraging to see
intelligent people lean on their own understanding rather than on the Spirit
of God.

Pauls doctrine of "grace" has been misunderstood, resulting
in enormous moral destruction. I dont believe this would have happened if the
scholars were relying on the Holy Spirit rather than their own minds.

Only the anointing of the Holy Spirit can lead us into
truth. In the case of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, every item was
anointed with the holy anointing oil, portraying that nothing is to be done in
the church without the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

How do we obtain the anointing? By obeying Jesus Christ. God
gives His Spirit to those who obey Him. The will of God ordinarily is not made
known to us through study but only as we present our body a living sacrifice,
taking up our personal cross, our personal prison, and following the Lord
Jesus patiently and faithfully each day of our life.

I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but
because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. (I John 2:21)

The principal issue of life in the world is that of finding
out truth. The United States of America places a premium on education. Today
children in kindergarten are being taught to read. Education usually enables
us to make more money, and money is the great American idol.

However, education does not always lead to truth. Truth is a
Person, the Lord Jesus Christ. In Him is Life, and that Life is Light. Light
is that which gives us knowledge and understanding.

Science provides data, such as where a thing is; how much it
weighs; its chemical composition; its color; its temperature, and so forth.
Data is not truth. Truth answers the basic questions of philosophy, such as,
what is the meaning of something? What is man that You are mindful of
him?"this sort of thing.

To have Christ dwelling in us is to have Truth dwelling in
us. Truth is not found anywhere other than in Christ.

The believers whom the Apostle John was writing to knew the
truth because Christ was dwelling in them. Those who did not have the truth in
them had already left the assembly. They had believed a lie.

Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the
Christ. Such a man is the antichristhe denies the Father and the Son. (I John
2:22)

I dont know what was going on at the time of the Apostle
John, that he would write such a thing. Apparently there were teachers who
were claiming that Jesus is not the Christ, the Christ who is to come.

The Antichrist is the man who denies that Jesus is the
Christ, the Christ. Does this strike you as strange? It does me. I dont know
what to think about the Antichristprobably that he is some kind of sinful
monster, something like Adolf Hitler or Joseph Stalinor even Saddam Hussein.
Instead he may be someone who is interested in theology.

How would Antichrist profit by maintaining that Jesus of
Nazareth is not the promised Christ? The Jews insist that Jesus was not the
promised Christ because otherwise they might feel guilty of crucifying Him.

To tell you the truth, I cannot understand the fierce anger
of the Jews, as portrayed in the Book of Acts, concerning the claims of Jesus
Christ; or their wrath when Paul said the Lord had sent him to the Gentiles.
It is true that religions fight other religions with an uncompromising hatred.
The power behind this hatred and bitterness must be Satan. Why else would one
human being attack another because of what that individual believes to be true
concerning God?

I seriously doubt that Antichrist is motivated by what he
perceives as theological error. The only motive I could think of that sounds
reasonable to me is that heAntichrist himselfwants to be regarded as Christ;
he wants to be worshiped.

So what we have to watch out for is not another Adolf Hitler
or Joseph Stalin but someone with a religious orientation who wants to be
regarded as God.

Over the last several hundred years we have been taught that
the rights of man should be our supreme concern; that the only god there is,
is the god in each person. This is my understanding of the antichrist
spiritthat man is his own god.

Ultimately, I believe, the current emphasis on man being his
own god will be brought to fullness in an individual who will sit in the Holy
of Holies of a restored Jewish Temple. He also will place a statue of himself
on the very place on the roof of the Temple where Satan brought Christ to be
tempted in the area of presumption.

Maybe we are looking in the wrong direction for Antichrist.

No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever
acknowledges the Son has the Father also. (I John 2:23)

The Lord Jesus Christ lives in God and God in Him. It is
impossible to have the Son without having the Father. It is impossible to have
the Father without having the Son.

We actually are being invited into this Oneness. If we are
willing to submit to the change that the Holy Spirit wants to work in us, the
time will come when it will be impossible to have us without having the Son;
and it will be impossible to have the Son without having us.

Yes, it is true. We are being brought into the enlargement
of the Father that He so desires. This is the meaning of, "In my Fathers
house are many dwelling places." You and I, if we will submit to becoming new
creations, will finally become a room in the great dwelling place of God.
Think of that!

There are not many roads that lead to God. The Lord Jesus
Christ is the only road that leads to God. There are many worthy people who
are true to the god they serve. But no matter how worthy they are, they cannot
approach the one true God except through the Lord Jesus Christ.

See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in
you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this
is what he promised useven eternal life. (I John 2:24,25)

The true Gospel of the Kingdom had been preached to those to
whom the Apostle John was writing. Immediately, however, teachers of religion
came and disputed with the believers, seeking to gain proselytes to their own
line of thinking.

The Apostle Paul spoke of those who by smooth talk and
flattery deceive the minds of naive people.

We see this very thing taking place today, and I cannot
fathom the motives of those who obviously are not hearing from the Lord and
yet come and argue about "grace" and "eternal security." What is there about
religion that it draws people to whom the Lord has not spoken?

I have noticed, and you probably have too, that when someone
turns to the Lord, almost immediately a proponent of some incorrect doctrine
will appear and seek to turn the convert away from the truth. This is so
disappointing!

I have asked the Lord why He permits this to happen, when
the new believer is so vulnerable. I still do not understand, unless God wants
to determine if the new believer is really one of His elect. It is evident
that God could prevent the new believer from being approached by a false
teacher, just as He could have prevented Satan from tempting Eve. God has His
own ways, doesnt He.

Notice that the promise is "eternal life." You will not find
an emphasis on going to Heaven in any book of the New Testament. The emphasis
is on eternal life, the Life that the Lord Jesus is. We are to be made part of
that Life, and will be in the Presence of God in that Life whether we are in
Heaven, on the earth, or anywhere else. Heaven is a place. Eternal life is a
state of being.

I am writing these things to you about those who are trying
to lead you astray. (I John 2:26)

I know Satan works night and day to confuse the doctrine
presented in the New Testament. This effort to distort the truth of the
Scriptures continues to the present day.

How, then, does one find the truth of the Scriptures? Only
by taking up his cross and following Jesus every day. Only by presenting his
body a living sacrifice to God.

The reason, as I see it, why people misunderstand the New
Testament is that they are moved by their own self-seeking and
self-centeredness. They mean well and may be devout. But the New Testament
cannot be understood until the reader has been through the fire and is hearing
from God.

Superior intelligence is not the answer. Only the Holy
Spirit can give the correct interpretation of the New Testament. As long as we
are living the adamic life we cannot understand the New Testament, because it
was written by people who were filled with the Presence of Jesus Christ.

I am amazed at the tremendous amount of exegetical materials
available today, including the original languages. The number of commentaries
and the thorough manner in which they have been constructed leaves one amazed
at the diligence and dedication that have produced these scholarly works.

It reminds me of Beethoven. One could exhume the corpse of
Beethoven and meticulously dissect every smallest part of his anatomy. Yet the
ninth symphony could not be discovered. Somehow the whole is greater than the
sum of its parts.

Bible study always is valuable. But the correct
understanding comes only as the Spirit of wisdom and revelation rests on us.
Unlike the case with deceased authors, we can go to the One who wrote the
Bible and talk to Him. We can find out from Him what a passage means, and He
will lead us to the correct interpretation.

It is well that we all keep an open mind, and not descend
into the bitter wrangling that too often characterizes religious teachers.
Jesus Himself is Truth, and the more we have of Him the more truth we have.
Isnt that so?

As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in
you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you
about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeitjust as it has
taught you, remain in him. (I John 2:27)

There is no question but that the Bible was written
supernaturally and can only be understood supernaturally.

The Jews are intelligent people. Some of their best minds,
their scholars, spent thousands of hours writing the Talmud. Every
verse of the Old Testament was pored over, analyzed, and discussed

Yet, there is the fifty-third chapter of the Book of Isaiah.
This chapter is a graphic destruction of the atonement made by the Lord Jesus.

The Jewish scholars may say that the suffering Servant is
Moses, or Israel. But it is such a clear description of the Lord Jesus being
led as a lamb to the slaughter that one must admit there is some kind of
spiritual seal on the fifty-third chapter of the Book of Isaiah. Or else the
Jews are afraid if they admit Jesus is Christ they will be held accountable
for the way they treated Him.

So it is in the case of the New Testament. There are whole
books of the New Testament that warn us of the danger of continuing to obey
our sinful nature. Yet intelligent, devout scholars will keep repeating that
we are saved by a sovereign decision regardless of how we behave.

There have been instances where some who work in jails have
brought in my materials and taught them to the inmates. These materials teach
righteousness of behavior. The prisoners are in jail because they did not
behave righteously. So some of the prisoners see the value of such teaching
and then embrace it.

Other workers enter the jails and prisons and bring with
them material that emphasizes we are not to do anything but believe. We are
saved by grace, so our works of righteousness mean nothingthey are legalism.
The prisoners obviously will not learn to behave righteously, from what they
are being taught.

Both of these messages cannot be correct. Our behavior
either is a significant aspect of our salvation or it is not. How can two
intelligent, devout people read the same New Testament and come to
understandings that are not only different but opposed? One or the other is
not of God!

How can this be? I do not know. But I do know from Matthew
through Revelation, the New Testament continues with the Old Testament
doctrines of righteous behavior, holiness of personality, and absolute
obedience to God. Why other people cannot see this is beyond me.

Take yourself, for example. If you are to bet your eternal
welfare on one or the other of these two irreconcilable doctrines, would you
stake your welfare on the doctrine that our behavior is an integral aspect of
salvation, or our behavior has nothing to do with our salvation?

I dont know about you, but since we will spend a very long
time in the next worldmuch longer than in the present worldI am staking my
welfare on the doctrine that my behavior is an integral aspect of my
salvation. If I am incorrect, at least I have avoided disease and remorse by
obeying the commandments of Christ and His Apostles.

But if an individual stakes his eternal welfare on the
doctrine that his behavior has nothing to do with his salvation, and he has
not lived as a disciple, then according to the Apostle Paul he will reap
destruction.

So which is the wise choice, do you think?

And now, dear children, continue in him, so when he appears
we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. (I John 2:28)

What does it mean to continue in Christ, according to what
we have read thus far? Does it mean to believe in the theological facts about
Christ and maintain that mental position? Or do you think it means to keep the
commandments found in the New Testament? Are we or are we not to walk in the
Light of Gods Presence and will, confessing and turning away from our sins?
Which of these two approaches, a steadfast mental position or keeping the
commandments of the New Testament, is meant by continuing in Him?

And what if we dont "continue in Him," what is the penalty?
Does it mean we will be fearful and ashamed before Him at His coming?

Notice that it does not say we will be cast into Hell. It
think it is important for us to realize there are other penalties for not
serving Christ beside being cast into Hell or the Lake of Fire. One of them is
being fearful and ashamed before Him at His coming, rather than rejoicing as
we hear "Well done, good and faithful servant."

Daniel speaks of being resurrected to face shame and
everlasting contempt.

There is a Heaven and there is a Hell. How would you like to
be spared Hell but still be fearful and ashamed before the Presence of your
Lord? How would you like to suffer a significant loss of inheritance because
you have not been diligent in serving the Lord?

One might say, "I dont care just as long as I am saved."

My rejoinder to this is, you do not know what you are
saying. When you see the glorious robes of light placed on the victorious
saints, and you yourself being scorned because you were not careful to serve
Jesus, are you going to say then that you dont care just as long as you are
saved?

We may think being saved means we will live forever in the
spirit Paradise in a splendid mansion. This is not scriptural. The emphasis of
the New Testament is on the Kingdom of God, not on splendid mansions in the
spirit Paradise.

Our future life, except for a brief period before the return
of Christ, will be spent on the earth. There are greatest and least in the
Kingdom, the Lord told us. How would you like to be least in the Kingdom?
Would you care that others had access to the Lord and had been blessed with a
marvelous inheritance of people to love and guide, while you yourself were
frowned on by the angels?

What if you had to endure ages of painful correction before
you were allowed into the Presence of God? Are you sure that this is what you
desire?

What if everything you had gained in life were removed from
you and you had to start again as a small child, having to be taught by more
faithful servants of the Lord? What if some of the saints were as great lights
in the heavens, while you yourself were spiritually naked? Are you sure you
would be happy with this destiny?

But arent we saved by grace, and wont we all have the same
reward?

When Paul speaks of being saved by grace he means instead of
by obeying the commandments found in the Law of Moses. Paul always wrote in
terms of his extensive training as a Pharisee.

Paul did not mean we can live a careless Christian life and
then reap glorious rewards by grace. This is ridiculous.

As far as all having the same rewardthe Lord told us when
He returned he would recompense each one of us according to what we have done.
I dont know about you, but that does not sound to me like the Apostle Paul is
going to receive the same reward as a believer who continually had to be
yanked from the burning so his spirit would be saved in the Day of Christ.

I do not know what the future holds, except for one thing. I
know one day I will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ. I intend to live, by
Gods grace, in such a manner that I will not be fearful and ashamed when I
stand there.

It is kind of like taking out insurance, isnt it? We spend
money on premiums when we well could have spent that same money on something
we needed. But we are thinking ahead to the day when an accident happens. If
an accident does happen and we have not taken out insurance, we are going to
wish we had set aside the money to pay the insurance premiums.

We might wish to live our life any way we feel like. But if
we are wise we will consider that some day we will be standing before Christ.
We want that to be the most wonderful day of our existence, not a terrifying
experience of being held in the hand of God, realizing we have failed
miserably to do what He commanded.

I dont know about you, but this makes sense to me!

If you know he is righteous, you know everyone who does what
is right has been born of him. (I John 2:29)

Now we begin a set of verses that demolish completely the
current teaching that we are saved by faith alone, and that the primary
righteousness of the new covenant is that which is imputed to us through
belief in Christ.

If there were no other emphases in the New Testament on the
necessity for righteous behavior, First John 2:29 through 3:10 would forever
put an end to the current doctrine that our behavior is not an integral aspect
of our salvation.

All of us know Jesus Christ is righteous.

Do we all understand everyone who does what is right has
been born of Him? Do we associate the righteous behavior of the Lord Jesus
with the conduct of those who profess to believe in Him, realizing that we
cannot say we have been born of Jesus Christ and behave in a manner unlike the
behavior of the righteous Jesus?

Today we are using the term "born again" incorrectly. Study
the Book of Acts and you will see that the Apostles, when preaching salvation,
did not speak of being born again.

By being "born again," we of today mean someone has
professed faith in Jesus Christ. This is not what it means to be "born again."
There are politicians in our government who claim to be born again, but their
conduct does not bear this out in every instance.

Being born again means the Substance and Life of Jesus
Christ have been conceived in us. We have the supernatural Life of God in us.
Obviously this new life must be nurtured if it is to bring forth lasting
fruit.

When we mention being born again we are not speaking of
repentance, or water baptism, or placing our faith in the blood atonement. We
are not referring to a change in our belief system or even in works we do that
are proof of our repentance. Being born again means being born of God.

Now if God has been conceived in us, will this change our
behavior? How could we have Christ born in us, and then formed in us as we
continue to feed on His flesh and blood, and our behavior not change? Any
person of sound mind can see readily that if Christ has been conceived in us
and is being formed in us, we are going to begin to act like Christ.

The Apostle Paul, speaking of His mature experience, claimed
that he was crucified with Christ. He was living no longer. Christ was living
in him.

Now, suppose Paul was an adulterer, a thief, and a murderer.
What would people think when he said Christ was living in him?

"But," someone will protest, "it is obvious what you are
saying is true. The fruit of Christ living in a person must of necessity
change that persons behavior for the better. But if the individuals behavior
is not changed for the better, isnt he or she still saved by grace?"

The Lord said, if we do not bear the fruit of His moral
likeness, we shall be cut out of the Vine, out of Himself.

Now I ask you, if someone is cut out of Christ, no longer
living by the Life flowing through the Vine, what would salvation mean in this
case? Would it mean he escaped Hell and went to Heaven, but was not joined to
Christ? Is this what it would mean?

Imagine being in the presence of the Father, Christ, and the
saints, and not being a part of Christ. You certainly could not be in the
Kingdom of God, because being in the Kingdom of God means you have Christ in
you. This is why the Lord told Nicodemus that he had to be born again to see
and enter the Kingdom.

Can you see how totally perverse the current teaching is?
The fruit we are to bear is the moral image of Christ in ourselves and then in
those whom we influence. If we do not bear the moral image of Christ, and
instead bear thorns and briers, as the writer of the Book of Hebrews expresses
it, we are in clear danger of the fires of Divine judgment. This is stated
both in the fifteenth chapter of the Gospel of John and also in the sixth
chapter of the Book of Hebrews.

Some of the Christian teachers of today (and their
followers) will go to any lengthwresting the Scriptures disgracefullyto
prove we can continue in sin and still be "saved." They are false prophets,
leading themselves and others to certain destruction. Their god is their
belly, and this is what they worship. What else can we conclude? They are
apostles of darkness.

But they have sat at Jesus feet. So did Judas. But they
spend all their time studying and teaching the Scriptures. So did the
Pharisees.

"If you know he is righteous, you know everyone who does
what is right has been born of him."

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we
should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the
world does not know us is that it did not know him. (I John 3:1)

You know, the Lord Jesus came to bring us to the Father. He
is the Way, and the only way, to the Father. He alone knows the Father, and He
reveals the Father to whomever He will.

Little children have known the Father. When we grow older we
become deceitful and there is a lie in us. But as we press on in the Lord, the
Father once again becomes known to us.

When we first are saved the Lord Jesus Christ becomes known
to us. As we press forward we become more acquainted with the Holy Spirit.
Still further on we encounter the Father in a more pronounced way.

There is no greater yearning in the human soul than to know
God and be pleasing to God. Life is full of toys that we play with. Sometimes
we become obsessed with this relationship or that thing or circumstance. But
when our little game has been played and we face the reality of physical
death, we then will realize it is only God that matters and how we treated
those whom God entrusted to us.

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will
be has not yet been made known. But we know when he appears, we shall be like
him, for we shall see him as he is. (I John 3:2)

"What we will be has not yet been made known." I think God
wisely prevents us from seeing what we will be. We have been made lower than
the angels for a season. But we are sons of God because we have been born of
God. No angel is a son of God in this sense.

The Lord Jesus is the Firstborn from the dead, the Firstborn
of the new creation. As such He is the elder brother. But we are real sons,
make no mistake. We are real brothers of Christ, having the same Father.

Our sonship is not a thing to be grasped. God brought Christ
very low, and He will bring us very low so we will have a heart like God and
not be arrogant.

"When He appears we shall be like Him for we shall see Him
as He is." I would imagine that most Christian people have read this statement
and believe it.

But think what it is saying! We shall be able to see Christ
as He is because we will be like Him.

Who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under
his control, will transform our lowly bodies so they will be like his glorious
body. (Philippians 3:21)

As I think about our condition as church people, and
speculate about our having a body like that of the Lord Jesus Christ, I think
one of three things must be true:

We are a lot farther along spiritually than it appears at
the present time.

God is going to do a powerful, unprecedented work among us
before the Lord returns.

Only a handful of Christians, the victorious saints, will
experience the fulfillment of this promise.

It appears to me it is folly and madness to assume God is
going to take the present Christian church members, in their bitterness,
gossip, unbelief, worldliness, lusts, unforgiveness, unbelief, spiritual
laziness, and neglect of their salvation, and then suddenly clothe them with
an all-powerful body.

Actually, the present unscriptural doctrine of the
"pre-tribulation rapture" is far better suited to todays American believers;
for this doctrine takes us in our present state and lifts us into Paradise so
we wont be harmed by the Antichrist or the Great Tribulation.

But to receive a body like that of Christ while our inward
nature is still infantile appears to me to be folly. It has not been my
experience that God approves of folly.

"We shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." We
cannot see Him as He is until we are like Him. It is my understanding that we
shall have to be like Him inwardly before we made like Him outwardly. What are
your thoughts on that?

If we were made like Him outwardly, entrusted with a
supremely powerful body like His, and still had a disobedient, self-seeking
inward nature, would we be able to see Him as He is? Would we not be a danger
in the universe? It seems to me we would be a danger in the universe, and by
no means would we be able to see God and Christ as They are.

So it appears something is going to have to occur between
then and now, or only the victorious saints, a small fraction of the present
churches in America, are going to experience the joy of being made like Christ
and beholding God as He is.

Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as
he is pure. (I John 3:3)

The above is a verse that absolutely flies in the face of
what is being taught today.

Every believer who hopes to be like Christ and see God as He
is purifies himself, just as the Lord is pure.

The Apostle Paul instructed us to cleanse ourselves from all
filthiness of the flesh and spirit.

Purifies himself. Cleanse ourselves.

How do we do this? By believing we are clean? Hardly. We
purify ourselves, as John told us previously, by confessing and turning away
from our sins. By confessing our sins John does not mean merely listing them,
but confessing them as behaviors that we have decided to forsake with all
diligence. This is how we wash our robes and make them white in the blood of
the Lamb.

The Holy Spirit today is emphasizing the act of confessing
and forsaking our sins. This act is the spiritual fulfillment of the Jewish
feast of the Day of Atonement, that comes after the Jewish feast of Pentecost.

It is time for the Bride to make herself ready. Every member
of the Christian Church is required to work with the Holy Spirit in the act of
putting to death the sinful actions of his or her sinful nature.

If we have the hope of being like Christ when He appears, of
seeing Him as He is, then we absolutely must purify ourselves. The fact that
the Scripture uses the expression "purifies himself" is absolute proof we are
not automatically purified by making a profession of faith in Christ. If we
were adequately prepared to meet Christ at His appearance by merely professing
belief in Him, than John would have wrote something like:

"Every person who believes that Jesus is the Christ and
accepts that God has made Him Lord of all has this hope of being like Christ
when He appears, and of seeing Him as He is." John would not have directed us
to take a further step of purifying ourselves. The Apostle Paul would not have
told the Corinthian believers to cleanse themselves from all filthiness of the
flesh and spirit if belief in Christ were the only step of redemption we are
to take.

Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is
lawlessness. (I John 3:4)

John undoubtedly is referring to the Ten Commandments of the
Law of Moses.

The Ten Commandments are an abridged version of the eternal
moral law of God. They tell us what sin is. The Holy Spirit interprets and
expands the Ten Commandments, and guides and empowers us so we can be
delivered from sin. The blood of the cross provides the authority for this
deliverance.

It really is difficult for a Gentile to grasp the background
against which the Apostles preached and wrote. The Law of Moses was instilled
in the fiber of their character.

It is a fact that we have counted ourselves as crucified
with Christ, and therefore free from the commandments of the Law. But if we
keep on sinning we reveal that we have not really counted ourselves dead to
sin. In this case we remain alive in the natural man and the Law condemns us.

While we are walking in the Spirit of God, following the
Lord closely, the Law has no authority over us. But if we are not walking in
the Spirit of God, are not following the Lord closely, are not putting our
sins to death through the Spirit of God, theneven though we profess faith in
Jesus Christthe Law possess the authority to condemn us.

The Law is as a Roman slave who brings us to the school of
Christ. But if we do not go to the school of Christ, preferring to walk in our
old ways, then the Law judges us guilty of sin.

What else can we derive from First John 3:4?

But you know he appeared so he might take away our sins. And
in him is no sin. (I John 3:5)

We could view the verse above as meaning that Christ takes
away the guilt of our sins, or that He takes away the sinful compulsions of
our inward nature. This is an extremely important decision, because it affects
how we view the Christian salvation.

Is the Christian salvation primarily the forgiveness of our
sins, or is it primarily the removal of our sinful nature? Is the difference
between the two covenants that the old covenant kind of forgives sin but the
new covenant truly forgives our sins, past, present, and future? If I am not
mistaken I believe the most prevalent teaching in our day is that the new
covenant is a better covenant because it does a more thorough job of forgiving
us.

How can we decide what "take away our sins" means? Probably
by thinking about the tenor of the epistle. Is it an exhortation to keep on
believing Christ has forgiven our sins, or is it an exhortation to stop
sinning?

Notice the statement, "in Him is no sin." "He might take
away our sins. And in Him is no sin." The expression "in Him is no sin" does
not mean He is not guilty of sin, it means Christ doesnt sin. So we might
infer that "He might take away our sins and In Him is no sin" means just as He
does not sin, He appeared that He might take away our practice of sinning.
This makes sense to me. If we are to be like Him and see Him as He is, then it
stands to reason we are not sinning any longer.

Lets look at the next verse to see if it will help us
decide this very important question.

No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who
continues to sin has either seen him or known him. (I John 3:6)

It seems to me that this verse suggests "take away our sins"
is speaking of destroying the power sin has over us, rather than referring to
taking away the guilt of our sins. Obviously there is a significant difference
between forgiving our sins and destroying the sinful nature from our
personality. Would you agree to that?

What can we say about multitudes of American Christians?
They are not living in Him. They have not seen Him. They have not known Him.

Why can we say that? Because they keep on sinning. Why do
they keep on sinning? Because they have been taught it does not matter because
they have been saved by grace.

We have a real conflict between what is taught today and
what the Apostle John has written, dont we?

Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who
does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. (I John 3:7)

The above verse finishes the argument, doesnt it? Who is
righteous? He who does what is right. How is Christ righteous? Christ is
righteous because He does what is right.

Modern advertisers know the power of image. For example,
they will advertise by saying a truck is like a rock, or ram tough. Cigarette
advertisers picture a cowboy smoking a cigarette. The idea is if you smoke
that brand of cigarette you are manly, like the cowboy. The architecture of
banks projects an image of solidity, while the bank itself may be close to
failing.

It is the image that is important. It does not show the
truck breaking down or the cowboy gasping for breath and dying of lung cancer.
It is the image that becomes the reality, and the advertisers know this.

This is what is true of the doctrine of sovereign grace. The
proponents of grace present an image of a glowing sin-free person who has been
made so by grace. For eternity the individual will shine in Heaven, totally
free from sin. The believer is rejoicing at the thought of suddenly becoming
one of Gods stars.

But if we will look carefully at the behavior of the
individual, and then read the New Testament, we see that the preaching of
grace projects an image that is as illusory as the truck being like a rock,
cigarette smoking making us manly, or the drinking of alcohol transporting us
to a beach in Hawaii.

He who does what is right is righteous just as Christ is
righteous. Not he who believes in Christ is righteous but he who does what is
right.

When we come to Christ we do not trust in our own
righteousness. By faith we receive His righteousness. Then we have a life to
live. If we walk in the Spirit of God we will begin to do what is right. If we
do not walk in the Spirit of God our behavior will remain unchanged.

Modern teaching says we are saved and will be accounted as
righteous even though our behavior does not change, because we are saved by a
sovereign grace that is unaffected by our behavior. This is an image, an
illusion. The New Testament does not support this. The Kingdom of God does not
accept this, because the Kingdom of God is the doing of Gods will in the
earth. The people of the world do not glorify God, because the light of
righteous works is not shining in us.

How long will it be before Gods devout ministers and
teachers discard this unscriptural image and begin to expound on the
Scripturesnot on the traditional topics but on the Scriptures themselves,
particularly the passages of the New Testament.

Until they do, it is useless for God to pour out His Spirit.
After the excitement is over, the teaching of "faith alone" will cause the
believers to return to their sinful ways. The demonic pressures are so strong
that the believers are not going to be able to resist the temptation to sin
unless they are taught that for a Christian to keep on sinning is to destroy
his resurrection unto eternal life.

He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the
devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared
was to destroy the devils work. (I John 3:8)

Again we are faced with the main question: does "destroy the
devils work" mean to forgive people, or does it mean to destroy the sinful
nature from them? What is your answer to this question? My answer is, "destroy
the devils work" means to destroy the sinful nature that we were born with.
Forgive means forgive. Destroy means destroy. To forgive something is not to
destroy it.

The Lord Jesus Christ did not come down to the world to
forgive the works of the devil but to destroy the works of the devil. Is it
any wonder Satan would prefer that we stress forgiveness rather than
destruction?

"He who does what is sinful is of the devil." This is quite
a statement, isnt itespecially when applied to Christian people.

When a Christian does what is sinful, is that of the devil?
I guess it must be, because the Apostle John assuredly is writing to Christian
people.

"The devil has been sinning from the beginning." That inward
compulsion we have to sin, is that really coming from the devil? I think so.

When we confess our sins, denouncing them as evil, we really
are bringing judgment against the devil. We are taking Gods side against
Satan. Then God forgives and purifies us. God wants us to be free from all
that is of Satan. Such deliverance is what salvation is.

One of our major problems when it comes to moral deliverance
is the common teaching that as long as we are in the world we are obliged to
sin. However, the Apostle Paul told us we do not owe our flesh anything that
we should fulfill its lusts.

I think the common teaching that we are obligated to sin,
which is against the Scripture, has left us with the impression each human
being carries within himself a huge, inexhaustible cavern of sin that can
never be cleansed. So we resign ourselves to the fact that we always are going
to sin, until we die and go to Heaven.

This is fallacious on two counts. First, we are not a huge,
inexhaustible cavern of sin. Second, there is no scriptural basis for the
belief that physical death sets us free from our sinful nature. Sin is
spiritual in nature and thrives in the spirit realm.

We simply are not an inexhaustible cavern of sin. Each one
of us has a different set of bondages. They can be attacked one at a time
until they are gone. All through our life on earth we come across impulses in
our personality that do not line up with the New Testament. We are to confess
and turn away from them. It is just as simple and straightforward as that.

Because Christians have been told that it doesnt matter if
they sin, and because they have been told it is impossible to gain victory
over sin, they do not confess and forsake the sins they know about. They are
waiting for Jesus to come and remove their sinful nature.

Well, Jesus is here today to remove our sinful nature.
However, He is not doing it all at once, but a little bit at a time.

I will tell you the truth. Half or more of the sins we
commit we can stop doing. We can just stop doing them! Try it and see if I am
correct.

As for the remainder, the Holy Spirit guides us each step of
the way, giving us wisdom and providing the strength to reject the evil and
embrace the good. "Walk in the Spirit," Paul says, "and you will not fulfill
the lusts of the flesh."

Maybe it was not Gods will in past time to deal with the
sins of His people. I do not know about that. But I do know God wants His
people today to get busy gaining the victory over the sin in their life.

No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because
Gods seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born
of God. (I John 3:9)

The above is a pretty powerful statement, isnt it?

John is not saying the moment we are born of God we will
never sin. The idea is he will not "continue to sin." He "cannot go on
sinning." The reason is, that which is born in us is of the Divine Nature. The
Divine Nature does not sin!

John is telling us to stop sinning and to pay attention to
the growth of Christ in us. If we sin we are to confess our sin, turn away
from it, receive our forgiveness, and proceed forward as a wiser person.
Meanwhile God nourishes us with the flesh and blood of Christ and we become
better able to resist sin.

We are not talking about the guilt of sin, are we? We are
dealing with the sinful nature itself. As we press forward in Christ, His
Nature replaces our sinful nature. This is what it means to be saved.

Currently we define "saved" as meaning we go to Heaven when
we die. This is not what "saved" means. To be "saved" is to have our sinful
nature replaced with the Nature of Jesus Christ.

But will we go to Heaven? Probably so, when we die. But the
purpose of being saved is not so we will go to Heaven but so we will have
fellowship with the Father and the Son. John wrote to us so we would have
fellowship with the Father and the Son. Do you remember that from the
beginning of our study?

We cannot have fellowship with the Father and the Son when
we are continuing in sin. They receive us when we first are saved so we can
start on the rugged way that leads to eternal life in Their Presence. But if
our behavior does not begin to change, if we are not in the process of
becoming a new creation of righteous behavior, then we lose our fellowship
with the Father and the Son. They do not have fellowship with darkness!

This is how we know who the children of God are and who the
children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child
of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother. (I John 3:10)

I wish Christian people would read their Bible, dont you?
Here the Apostle John puts an absolute end to current teaching. How do we know
who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are? Not by
their profession of faith but by their behavior. Whoever does not do what is
right is not a child of God. Multitudes of American believers do not do what
is right. What can we say about them? They are not children of God.

"But they confess that Jesus is Lord and believe in their
heart that God has raised Him from the dead."

They are not children of God.

"But what about mercy, grace, forgiveness, and unconditional
love?"

They are not children of God.

"But everyone says we are saved by grace and not by works of
righteousness we have done."

They are not children of God if they do not do what is
right.

Notice the last part of the above verse: "nor is anyone who
does not love his brother."

What is true of anyone who does not love his brother? He is
not a child of God.

How about the millions of American Christians who have
bitterness, hatred, unforgiveness, spite, jealousy, and envy in them? They are
not children of God.

What must they do if they are to be children of God? They
must ask God to forgive them and remove the bitterness, hatred, unforgiveness,
spite, jealousy, and envy from them.

But what if they are unable to surrender these areas of
darkness, preferring to hold on to them?

In this case they are to resign themselves to face anguish
in the Day of Resurrection.

Or they can pray for the desire to be rid of them, and then
follow the Lords leading as He brings them to the place of deliverance.

We absolutely mustabsolutely must! press through all this
garbage until we are standing on Heavens tableland, above the moral filth of
bitterness, hatred, unforgiveness, spite, jealousy, and envy. We can gain the
high ground, you know, if this is what we really want. And if we dont really
want to be delivered, we can pray for the desire to be delivered.

One thing is absolutely certain: anyone who does not love
his brother is not a child of God! The Scripture cannot be broken!

This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should
love one another. (I John 3:11)

The Lord Jesus commanded us to love one another. What is
love? Love is not primarily an emotion, it is being kind, generous, and
forgiving toward others. Love is in what we do, not in what we feel.

The adamic nature tends to love some people and reject
others. We have natural affinities and antipathies. We need to ask the Lord to
help us grow past our likes and dislikes of people, and not gush over some and
reject others. We need to treat all people with kindness and gentleness. This
is the image of Christ and accepted by the Father. God certainly will assist
us in this if we ask Him to.

Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and
murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were
evil and his brothers were righteous. (I John 3:12)

Some have speculated that God did not accept Cain because
Cain did not offer a blood sacrifice. I am not certain this is a fact. Cain
was a farmer and brought to the Lord the fruit of the field. Why wouldnt God
accept that? I personally believe he would. These were not sin offerings,
requiring blood. They merely were thank or peace offerings, as far as I can
tell.

John said Cain murdered his brother, Abel, because Cains
actions were evil and his brothers were righteous.

Bringing the firstfruits of his crops was not an evil work.
But for some reason God did not regard Cains offering. So Cain in a jealous
rage murdered his brother.

John said Cain belonged to the evil one. This was evident in
that his actions were evil. How John knew I do not know. But God evidently saw
that Cains heart was not right, and it was for this reason God did not regard
his offering.

Notice that Cain did not repent and turn to the Lord. He
blamed his brother, proving that he had an evil heart.

I think this is true of the churches of our day. We are
growing in the fervency of our worship, I believe. But we must understand if
our heart is not right, particularly if we are holding a grudge against
someone, God does not regard our offering.

Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. (I
John 3:13)

I think we are in a peculiar situation right now in America.
Because of the manner in which our country was founded, there remains a
lingering impression that America is a Christian nation.

But this may no longer be true, for two reasons. Many people
have immigrated to America who are not of the Christian religion. Secondly,
the moral atmosphere is rapidly degenerating. What is acceptable todayeven
protected by lawwould not have been tolerated a hundred years ago. The
decline is so slow we do not notice it. But it is happening and it is
horrendousfar, far worse than we realize, for we do not know what takes place
behind closed doors.

Sooner or later, perhaps because of our support of the
nation of Israel, there may arise strong feelings against the Christian
religion. It is difficult to visualize today, but there are signs that
persecution may be on the horizon.

Christian morality is considered antiquated and destructive,
in some places. Also, people may perceive if we did not support Israel the
chance of our suffering from terrorist attacks might decrease significantly.

If there are major terrorist attacks, added to economic
collapse and any form of natural calamity that causes shortages on the
supermarket shelves, the America people are going to start looking for someone
to blame. If the American people are deprived of any right or any comfort, and
they perceive the churches somehow have a hand in it, then there will be
persecution.

There are numerous professing Christians in America, and
some genuine disciples. But America no longer is a Christian nation. Our
testimony to the world is that of material wealth, military power, and moral
depravity. Can anything stop this trend? Only the Christian people can,
through prayer. But this would involve turning from our wicked ways. Are we
willing to do this?

We know we have passed from death to life, because we love
our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. (I John 3:14)

Notice that John says our assurance that we have passed from
death to life (which is the definition of "salvation") is based on our
behavior, not on our doctrine. I believe this is important.

The root of all or most sins is in the area of
relationships. The Ten Commandments have to do with relationships. The reason
the world is in so much turmoil has to do with faulty relationships.

The most powerful and constructive of all relationships is
love. We have to gain victory over our love of the world, the lusts of our
flesh and soul, and our self-seeking before we can love our brother. Remember,
we are not speaking of an emotion but of our willingness to be kind and
generous with someone whether or not we like him or her. Real love is
demonstrated by actions, not emotions.

Love and romance are a main topic of interest in America.
But the love and romance of which we speak is not love at all. It is a
self-gratifying appetite of our glands. Nothing more profound than this. What
we call love has to do with how people make us feel, or how we want them to
feel toward us. It is quite different from Divine love.

The love that God gives us for people is not based on our
glands, or how people make us feel, or how we want them to feel toward us. It
is a strong, wise ability to seek the other persons welfare, not being moved
by his readiness to do harm to us.

Divine love is the most powerful force of all. Our human
love leads us into sin as often as not. It is weak and easily offended. But
Gods love is a great power, a mighty force of Gods Personality that affects
all God is and does.

We are living in spiritual death when we have hatred and
bitterness in our heart, no matter how fervently we profess Christ or how
active we are in church. If we will ask the Lord, He will give us His love for
people. This is eternal life.

Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know no
murderer has eternal life in him. (I John 3:15)

Again we see that the evidence of eternal life is not our
profession of belief, it is the condition of our heart.

Sometimes we are in a situation where there is a good deal
of strife and anger. This affects us, of course. It is difficultalmost
impossible to rise above the slander, the accusations, and the lies.

But we just have to do it! We are in a battle for our
spiritual life. If we permit ourselves to respond with malice, spite, anger,
accusations, and justifications, we permit spiritual darkness and death to
enter our personality.

There is a place in God that I like to refer to as Heavens
tableland. We keep pressing through until we actually rise above the feelings
of hatred and revenge. We walk hand in hand with Jesus through the meadows of
glory. The birds are singing. The grass is greener than we have ever seen. The
flowers are arrayed in colors never observed on earth. Our heart is purefree
from all strife. We are in Gods rest. How utterly marvelous!

We then are ready and glad to welcome everyone into the
Kingdomeven someone who has caused us pain. But on occasion God enters the
picture and says, "No, that individual has sinned and must be chastened
thoroughly. But it is well that your heart is clear."

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his
life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone
has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him,
how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words
or tongue but with actions and in truth. (I John 3:16-18)

We see from the above that love is something we do rather
than something we feel. We give of ourselves as necessary for the welfare of
others. As God guides and makes it possible, we share our material possessions
when we see someone in need. Our love is not in words but in action.

We Americans tend to be fiercely independent. We hold the
rights of individuals above the right of the social group. We tend, especially
in the cities, to hide in our houses to a certain extent. We are anything but
a communal society.

When Paul tells us we should work hard so we have enough to
help others, this is difficult for us. It is so contrary to our culture, which
encourages all of us to make a lot of money and invest it so we have far more
than we actually need. The idea of "getting ahead" financially is ingrained
deeply in American thinking.

Perhaps in the future our economic pattern will change so we
are more charitable. If the churches are persecuted, we may have to help one
another more than we do. Meanwhile we can recognize that God wants us to be
aware of the needs of others and not live unto ourselves.

This then is how we know we belong to the truth, and how we
set our hearts at rest in his presence Whenever our hearts condemn us. For God
is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. (I John 3:19-20)

We can have a clear conscience before God, if we want to.

In order to have a clear conscience before God we must come
before God and tell Him we will obey Him in every detail; we will do whatever
He wishes.

Have you ever done this? So many Christians have been taught
that no one can do Gods will that they live under a cloud of doubt, being
under the impression there is something they should be doing but they are not
certain what it is. In addition, they fear that if they really heard from God
He would want them to do something painful or impossible.

One factor that contributes to the cloud of doubt is the
incessant emphasis on "getting out and saving souls." People listen to this
exhortation Sunday after Sunday. They may feel that they should go from door
to door, but they do not have the calling or grace to do this. So they sit in
church under condemnation. Eventually they become numb and just agree with the
pastor, believing they should go forth but realizing they never will.

This is a terrible way to walk as a child of God. God wants
us to have an absolutely clear conscience before Him. We can, if this is what
we wish.

It is as I said: Come before the Lord and tell Him you are
ready to do whatever He wishes, knowing He always will provide the grace that
His will may be performed with joy and peace.

If there is something you should be doing, God will tell you
so and enable you to do it. The chances are you are right where you are
supposed to be and doing what you are supposed to be doing; but because you
have never dared to come before the Lord like this, you have not realized that
there is nothing else He wants you to do.

Try it and see! Of course, you have to be honest. If you
know God is speaking to you about something, you have to be obedient. God will
not have disobedient children.

But pleasing God is not nearly as difficult as that which is
presented in some of the Christian churches, or as whatever ideas we have in
our mind about what God expects of us.

Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have
confidence before God And receive from him anything we ask, because we obey
his commands and do what pleases him. (I John 3:21,22)

When we are walking in the light of Gods Presence and will,
having a clear conscience before Him, we are living as a victorious saint. The
promises to the overcomer are for us. God then answers our prayers, because we
are pleasing Him by obeying Him.

It is not necessary for a believer to live in defeat. It is
easy to please the Lord. All we have to do is do what He tells us to do. And
He always gives us grace to perform His will. It just is not all that
difficult.

For whatever reason, Satan attempts to leave us with the
impression doing Gods perfect will is difficult, impossible, or very
unpleasant. None of this is true. Gods will is a delight.

Of course we have to discipline ourselves so we dont yield
to some unprofitable urge. But this is the case with everyone in the world.
Our world is under a curse because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve. But
God helps us.

We have to keep in mind that God is changing us into the
image of His Son, Jesus Christ. Naturally our adamic nature is not pleased
with the change and will fight against it. But eventually our old nature
yields as we keep on growing in Christ.

Finally we arrive at the place where Gods will and our will
are the same will. This is an extremely desirable state in which to live. The
fires of our youthful desires and passions burn down, our fears diminish, and
we know before too long we will exchange our tired body for one with
inexhaustible strength and energy.

And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son,
Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. (I John 3:23)

It is not unusual for Christians to maintain that the only
commands we have to obey are to believe in Jesus and love one another. As far
as they are concerned, no other alteration of our behavior is needed.

The problem is, to love one another is the supreme command.
It is the zenith of spiritual maturity. To say love is the only command is to
try to climb a ladder by starting at the top rung.

To dwell in perfect love, which is to live on Heavens
tableland, requires a preceding program of arduous pressing into the Lord. So
many varied pressures and temptations assail us as we begin to climb the
ladder toward perfect love.

While we are young we are tempted by choices in many
different directions: relationships with the opposite sex; higher education,
if it is available; where we want to live; and what we want to make of our
life. And then of course there are drugs and alcohol to contend with.

When we are middle aged and a member of a church we find
there are numerous problems with relationships. Sometimes the pastor gets on
our nerves. On other occasions there are divisions in the church and we are
tempted to take one position or another.

Little by little we gain in experience and wisdom. Little by
little we gain in spiritual strength. Little by little we climb toward that
tableland of rest in Gods will, and toward a love that is not deflated by
cruelty, or false accusations, or injustice. We live above the ebbing and
flowing of the fleshly nature.

Yes, to believe in Christ, to abide in Him, to dwell in
love, is the end of all commandments. But we dont jump from our initial
acceptance of Christ to perfect love. We may think we can, but realistically
we cannot.

Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And
this is how we know he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us. (I
John 3:24)

It is of total importance that we read the Bible with the
idea in mind of doing what it invites and commands. We meditate in the Word
each day, asking God to show us His will for our life. We invite Jesus into
every decision we make, no matter how seemingly unimportant the decision may
seem.

We talk to Jesus continually through the day, giving thanks
when problems are solved, and praying when we encounter difficulties. Our
mind, even though occupied with details and difficulties, is constantly
reaching upward to the Lord.

We live in Him, and He in us. We dine on His flesh and
blood. He dines on our obedience and worship. This dining goes on continually,
night and day.

We become increasingly aware He is in us because of the
Spirit we have. The Holy Spirit becomes ever more real to us. We realize every
aspect of our life and ministry must be conducted by and through the Holy
Spirit. Christ lives in us through the Spirit, and meanwhile His very
Substance and Nature are being formed in us.

It is a life of strict, total obedience to the Lord.

The emphasis today of Bible teaching appears to be what we
can get from God. There indeed is an abundance of passages in the Bible that
offer help to us so we can make our way through life. Jabez cried out to the
God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your
hand be with me, and keep me from harm so I will be free from pain." And God
granted his request. There is manna that enables us to make our way through
the wilderness, especially in the Book of Psalms.

But the present burden of the Holy Spirit seems to be that
we learn to obey God promptly and thoroughly.

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the
spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have
gone out into the world. (I John 4:1)

Never be afraid to test the spirits to see whether they are
from God.

I suppose there are many people like myself who hear from
the Lord several times a day, who hold themselves before God in every decision
they make.

Those of us who live like this are always in danger of being
deceived. I can tell you from sad experience that Satan is able to imitate the
voice of Christ until even a sincere Christian cannot tell the difference.

I realize dedicated Christians are under the impression they
cannot be deceived. This is not true. Do you remember that the Lord told us to
pray "lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one"?

I pray this way every day. I ask the Lord to keep me from
being deceived. Every time I get the sense that God is going to speak to me, I
pray this prayer.

We might think if God is in the middle of saying something
to us that it would be an insult to stop and ask God in Jesus name to permit
us to hear only what is coming from His Throne. I have found that God never is
displeased with our prayer to keep us from being deceived. I think the reason
God never is displeased with the prayer to be kept from deception is because
of First John 4:1. The inerrant Word tells us not to believe every spirit but
to test the spirits to see whether they are from God.

The world is filled with voices claiming to be that of God.
How can we tell the difference?

The best protection there is against deception is to
patiently carry our cross behind the Lord Jesus each day; to remain patiently
in the prison where God places us.

It is when we try to obtain something we desire fervently
that we become deceived. God wants us to burn with desire only for Him.
Whenever we burn with desire for something or someone other than God, the Lord
may answer us according to our idol. Then we think we are hearing from the
Lord, but we are not.

It may be true that deception is much more common than we
think. Certainly the" pre-tribulation rapture" doctrine is deception.
Certainly the recent "prosperity" and "faith" doctrines are deceptions.
Certainly the idea that we are saved by a set of beliefs apart from our
behavior is a gross deception. So we see that deception is more widespread
among Christian people than one would expect.

The power of Satan, his ability to force us to do something,
was destroyed on the cross. Therefore he has to accomplish his work in us by
deceiving us, leading us to sin by our own choice. Satan cannot make us do
anything?

Why does God permit us to be deceived when we want truth?
One reason is that He told us to pray that we would not be led into
temptation, and we dont pray this prayer often enough or fervently enough.

Sometimes He permits us to stumble so we might understand we
are not as perfect as we think we are; that salvation is of the Lord, and only
He can save us.

And there may be a host of other reasons of which we may not
be aware. It is sufficient for us to know Jesus told us there would be
deception in the last days, and there is. Many Christians have practically no
defense against the wiles of the enemy. They are taken captive at his will
because they never have been taught the way of discipleship. They merely are
churchgoers, not disciples of Jesus at all. Naturally they are going to be
deceived by spiritual lords who have had thousands of years of experience
deceiving the Lords people.

Many of us Christians in America are far too gullible, far
too soft, far too worldly to stand in the day of spiritual battle. I think the
events of the future are going to press us into Christ until we gain some of
His strength and wisdom. We have been coddled. We have not been taught how to
stand in the day of trouble, having been put to sleep by the unscriptural
doctrine of the "pre-tribulation rapture" of Gods people into Heaven that
they might not suffer during the era of physical and moral horrors that is on
the horizon.

This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every
spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,
But every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the
spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is
already in the world. (I John 4:2,3)

The Spirit of God acknowledges Jesus; the spirit of
Antichrist does not acknowledge Jesus. So we will recognize Antichrist by the
fact that he will not acknowledge that Jesus is Gods Son, the Christ who is
to come.

There is an interesting expression in the above passage:
"Jesus Christ has come in the flesh." The Spirit of God insists Jesus Christ
has come in the flesh.

"In the flesh." We need to think about this.

From what I know of the philosophy termed Gnosticism, it
emphasizes that spirit is good and matter is evil. Gnosticism would never
agree that anything of God would come in the flesh. Gnosticism emphasizes
knowledge, from whence it derives it name. The Gnostic redemption comes on the
basis of the believer grasping a specific body of knowledge.

I believe there are two areas of current Christian teaching
that reveal the influence of Gnosticism.

The first is our stress on specific knowledge as being a
formula by which we are saved. If we subscribe to the "Statement of Faith" of
our denomination we are saved. We do not always emphasize a day by day
interaction with the living Jesus. Thus we are more Gnostic than Christian.

Second, we have lost sight of the physical aspects of the
Kingdom of God. Whereas in the first century the Gospel was the good news that
the Kingdom of God is coming to the earth, now the good news is that if we
believe in Jesus we will go to Heaven when we die.

We have lost sight of the physical resurrection from the
dead. We do not emphasize the resurrection today. We emphasize a catching up
of the believers into the spirit Paradise, which is not a scriptural doctrine.

The Scripture teaches that we are caught up into the air,
meaning the physical air. But this does not happen, according to the
Scripture, until first we have been physically raised from the dead, or our
physical body has been transformed in some manner.

If you ask the believers today if there will be a
resurrection of their physical body, most of them will tell you they dont
know. All they are sure of is that they are going to be carried up to Heaven
at any moment.

If you ask them if their present body will be carried up to
Heaven, they are not certain. They might presume that they will leave this
present body behind and be carried in their spiritual body into a spiritual
heaven.

The doctrine of the physical resurrection of the dead, after
the manner of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, has been lost to the
Church. We do not understand God plans on redeeming the physical world. Our
understanding in this regard is Gnostic rather than Christian.

This is the work of Satan, of Antichrist. Why? Because
Satan, a cherub, came down from the spirit realm into the earth, understanding
that the physical earth is a superior realm when compared with the spirit
heavens. Here he remains, being under the impression the earth and its peoples
are his rightful domain.

It is Satan who is behind the idea that Christians are to
vacate the earth and live for eternity in the spirit realm. He does not want
Christians here. If it ever dawns on Christian people that apart from Christ
they can do nothing of eternal value, and that they must set aside their own
life that Christ may live in them, Satans rulership over the earth will come
to an end.

Satan has no fear of the Christian churches. He is afraid of
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. When even a few Christian people
comprehend that the earth and its people are the inheritance of Christ and
them, and assign their own lives to the cross that Christ may live in them,
Satans entire empire will be torn down.

If you were in Satans place, wouldnt you want the Church
to leave the earth?

The doctrine of the Kingdom of God is being restored in our
day. The Kingdom of God is the physical realm indwelt by the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit. When the Lord Jesus and His saints return to the earth
they will drive out everything that is of Satan and install the government of
God on the earth.

Antichrist denies that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. We
know Jesus Christ came in the flesh because we saw Him eat the honeycomb. We
know also that at His coming we will be raised from the dead in our physical
body and then clothed upon with our incorruptible house from Heaven.

We know this is true. We grasp this fact. The earth and its
peoples belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, and to us because we are coheirs with
Him. Not one stick, not one ant on the ground, not one individual belongs to
Satan. They all belong to us, and we belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to
God.

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them,
because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. (I
John 4:4)

Ordinarily we think of this verse in terms of power. We have
overcome Antichrist and his forces because we have more power. This is not
what the verse is referring to. It is speaking of truth. We overcome the
doctrines of Antichrist because He who is the Truth from the Father is in us.
Also, the Holy Spirit of Truth is in us.

Antichrist can overcome every force Christians seek to bring
against him. But he cannot possibly overcome the truth that is in Jesus
Christ. The truth of Christ finally will prevail against the lies of
Antichrist, of the world spirit, of the false morning star, of Satan, of the
false prophet.

We live in an ocean of lies at the present time. We need
more of the Lord Jesus Christ, because only the Truth that is Christ is
greater than the lies of Antichrist. By truth I do not mean theology. I mean
the Life of Jesus Christ in us which is our Light. We know truth because He
who is Truth is in us.

They are from the world and therefore speak from the
viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and
whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen
to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of
falsehood. (I John 4:5,6)

John had that inner assurance that he knew the truth. This
is why he was able to judge the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood in
people by whether or not they listened to him.

John knew God. He knew the truth was in him. This is how he
could speak with such conviction.

We emphasize theological truth with our " "Statement of
Faith." Statements of Faith by and large are dead documents. They portray the
conclusion believers have reached in time past. Statements of faith have to be
made alive to each new generation as the saints interact with the living
Jesus. It is this interaction with Jesus that is salvation.

Divine truth marches forward as God sets aside people and
teaches them. Then they know what is truth and what is error. They did not
study until they were able to arrive at truth. It came as the result of a
personal encounter with the Lord. We know when we are having an encounter with
the Lord, when He is teaching us.

There is much falsehood in todays Christian teaching
because the teachers and preachers are building on previous revelations. These
revelations have since been encrusted with barnacles. They scarcely are
recognizable as having come from the Lord.

The spirit of the world has penetrated even the Pentecostal
ranks, and now we are attempting to build churches around the world, thinking
that this must be what the Lord Jesus desires. But we really dont know. It is
time for some of the Christian leaders to wait before the Lord until they hear
what God wants today.

The Lord wants to lift us up to a tableland of glory that we
have not known previously. As we are lifted up we will become increasingly
incomprehensible to the world. The tendency today is to try to be "seeker
friendly" so the people of the community will understand and enjoy the
"services." There may be a place for such services, although I am not certain.
The saints, however, will never come to maturity in such a milieu.

Does God want mature saints or a great number of spiritual
babies, carnal churchgoers. Do you have an opinion on this?

Last Sunday was a highlight in our church. There was the
most intense interaction I have seen to this point. Half of the congregation
prayed for the other half, as we all repented and sought to be changed.

I would estimate the attendance at about 120 people.

I have always thought it would be nice to have a church with
two or three thousand people in attendance. However, I have prayed each week
that God would send only those whom He wanted present during the service. When
I have thought about the people God has added to us over the last three years
I am amazed. They really are quality saints!

As I thought about this Sunday morning, marveling at what
was taking place, I realized the kind of service we had could not operate with
more than 200 people.

I know pastors of the large churches hope to have this type
of vitality in smaller groups that meet during the week. Last Sundays service
would never happen in a cell group or home group. There would not be a strong
enough leadership to bring about such interaction. We had about four pastors
in attendance plus a number of other strong Christian and leaders.

I know pastors of the large churches will have the people
arrange themselves in small groups and pray for each other, during the Sunday
morning service. I have experienced this when I attended a large church. I
found myself in a group of six or seven strangers. In no way was it possible
to do more than offer a few polite prayers. These were all strangers!

Last Sunday morning we knew nearly everyone who was there.
Needs were made known. We were praying with familiar people, for the most
part. It was, I hope, the beginning of increased body ministry in our
assembly.

I am not advancing our service as a pattern for anyone else
to follow. I am just observing the fact that if we watch the Lord and follow
Him, forgetting about all the organizational plans and traditional emphases,
God just might do a wonderful thing in our midst.

I am sick to death of men and their plans. I want to hear
from the Lord Jesus Christ! In no way am I going to try to bring the world
into the assembly, for these people bring the great lie with them. I have
given our church to the Lord numerous times. It is His church and I want Him
to build it in His own way. I do not need the help of the world. The world is
of one spirit. I am of another. How do you feel about this?

Dont we care about people on the outside? Of course we do.
We have an extensive Internet and book ministry. We have given away thousands
of books free of charge to Third World countries as well as to various prisons
and jails. From our church, people minister to the Philippines, Mexico, and
the American Indians. But these ministries have sprung up as we have sought
the Lord and worshiped Him, gaining victory over our sinful nature. Our eyes
are on the Lord, and He is the one who is raising up ministry among us.

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from
God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not
love does not know God, because God is love. (I John 4:7-9)

All of Gods works are done in love.

I had a marvelous experience in Iceland. There God impressed
me with His love. I saw, for example, how the Communion service was an
expression of Divine love. I never saw that before. Previously I had
emphasized that the Communion service was a covenant, and went into that
subject in a sort of doctrinal way. But after Iceland I recognized that a Man
was giving us His own flesh and blood because only in this manner could He
reveal the intensity of His love.

I am well aware emotionally we could stand only the smallest
part of Gods love. If God saw fit to expose us to His love we would die
weeping. Gods love is so far above us that He can observe all sorts of
violations of His Person and will, and still persevere with mankind.

When God gives us of His love we can forgive everyoneeven
those who have slandered us.

When John directs us to love one another he understands that
we do not always have the Presence of Divine love in us. So we have to act as
though we did, forgiving and helping others to the best of our ability. Also
we must be on guard constantly that we do not permit a spirit of bitterness or
unforgiveness to gain a foothold in our personality.

Religious organizations have not always been characterized
by love. There have been the persecutions authorized by the Catholic Church.
Within the Protestant denominations there has been much wrangling and
infighting. Just because we call ourselves Christian does not mean we have
love.

Love is our goal. It is a long, hard struggle to climb the
rugged slopes of Mount Zion. But when we arrive at the summit we will find
that we have grown in our ability to act toward others in a constructive
manner, even when we do not feel particularly loving.

We can look forward to a future in which the love of God
through the Lord Jesus Christ toward people will be the environment in which
we live. There is no greater joy than that of sharing Gods love with someone
to whom we have been directed by the Spirit.

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you," the Lord
said. "Continue in my love." He will share His love with us. But first we have
to go through a wilderness of doubts, fears, deferred desires, and other
chastenings.

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one
and only Son into the world that we might live through him. (I John 4:9)

I think it is important that John did not say, at least at
this point, that God sent His Son into the world to forgive our sins. I think
this has been the traditional emphasis of the Christian churches.

John says, rather "that we might live through Him."

Living through Christ is quite a bit different than just
having our sins forgiven.

If I am hearing the Lord correctly, He is emphasizing the
passage in Revelation that speaks of His standing at the door and knocking,
asking for admittance.

While this verse sometimes is addressed to the unsaved, it
actually is written to the church of Laodicea. I think the church of Laodicea
had many of the characteristics we see today in the churches in America.

The church in Laodicea believed it had need of nothing. It
was content to serve God in its own way. "Let us wear our own clothes and eat
our own food but be called by your name." I think this too often is the
attitude today. We will call ourselves Christian, but we will govern our own
life and operate the assembly as we see best.

The Lord is asking for admittance, I believe. It is up to
each individual to hear the voice of the Lord and open the door. Then the Lord
will enter our personality and dine with us. He dines on our obedience and
worship. We dine on His flesh and blood.

I dont hear too much preaching today about the flesh and
blood of Christ. I have already mentioned in this present article how
important the flesh and blood of Christ are. We have been forgiven by the
blood of the cross. The blood of the Lord works to demolish the sinful nature
in us. The Passover blood shields us when Divine judgment is in the land. The
flesh and blood of the Lamb will raise us up in the last day.

More than this, it is the flesh and blood of the Lamb, the
Substance of Christ, that nourishes our inward nature and builds up Christ in
us. From this point forward we are to live by His flesh and blood, which we
receive every time we turn from our old nature and do what the Holy Spirit is
prompting us to do. The flesh and blood of Christ are true food and drink, and
we must feed on these continually in the closing days of the Church Age.

The churches have been at salvation. The churches have been
at Pentecost. The third great work of God is the spiritual fulfillment of the
Jewish feast of Tabernacles.

We are saved through the blood atonement. We are given
wisdom and power through the Holy Spirit. Now we have come to the hour when
the Lord Jesus wants to enter us in a far greater manner than ever before.
This is the Kingdom of God. The blood provides the authority and the Spirit
gives us the wisdom and power. Now Gods intention is being revealed, and we
see that His intention is to live in us; to make us His eternal dwelling
place.

"That we might live through Him."

The Lord wants us to abandon ourselves to Him so He might
dwell in us as never before. The dwelling of Christ in us is Gods answer to
the spiritual darkness of the closing days of the Church age.

The basic salvation experience and the baptism with the Holy
Spirit will not prove to be sufficient for the spiritual darkness that is at
hand. We must have Christ living in us, dining with us continually, if we are
to stand and help others to stand during the darkness and pressures we are
facing.

The hour is coming when no man can work. But those who are
willing to die in the Lord will be able to stand and work because it will be
God in them who is standing and working.

"That we might live through Him"!

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us
and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. (I John 4:10)

Salvation is from the Lord. He began our salvation with His
death on the cross. He is conducting His plan of redemption with exceedingly
great care. He will finish His plan, creating an unblemished Bride for the
Lamb who will be able to serve in all the areas of the Kingdom of God that God
has ordained.

Jesus Christ is Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End.
What He began so perfectly He shall complete just as perfectly. In fact, the
glory of the latter house shall be greater than that of the former. He has
kept the best wine until now.

There is an unfortunate tendency among the Christians of our
day to attempt to find ways to use God to get what we want; to have a better
lifebetter in our terms. The Christian bookstores are replete with all sorts
of books and booklets that tell us how to use God to get what we want.

We simply do not understand what is taking place. We are
seeking to discover how to have God fulfill our dreams, instead of seeking to
discover how we can fulfill Gods dreams. The slaves have become the masters.

But then, it is the age of Antichrist.

Will we ever escape this self-centeredness? Perhaps as
individuals.

I notice how easy it will be for Satan, after a thousand
years of the righteous rule of the saints, to deceive the nations so they once
again rebel against God and His people.

Why dont we just trust God and take our hands off the Ark!
There is no telling what wonderful things God might do if we would get out of
the way.

John mentions "the atoning sacrifice for our sin." Every
aspect of the Kingdom of God is possible only because of the atoning sacrifice
made by the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. We overcome by the
blood of the Lamb. No matter what accusation Satan hurls at the Church, the
blood of the Lamb answers with the certainty that Gods justice has been
satisfied

This does not mean, however, that Christians can walk in
known sin and the blood of the Lamb will satisfy Gods sense of righteousness.
This is a huge mistake that is being made today.

Under both the old covenant and the new covenant, the only
sins for which atonement can be made by blood are the sins of which the
individual is not aware. There is no provision under either covenant for
willful sin, that is, sin of which we are aware and commit knowingly and
willfully. Under the old covenant the willful sinner is to be cut off from his
people. Under the new covenant the willful sinner becomes the enemy of God.

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received
the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, But only a fearful
expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of
God. (Hebrews 10:26,27)

"The Lord will judge His people. It is a dreadful thing to
fall into the hands of the living God."

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love
one another. (I John 4:11)

God is ready to forgive our numerous transgressions. We also
ought to be quick to forgive those who sin against us.

Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, they dont know what they
are doing."

This so often is true of people who harm us. In almost every
case, they do not know what they are doing. Even when they do, they are driven
by forces they themselves do not understand. If we are patient, we sometimes
see them come to their senses and ask our forgiveness. In such instances, we
absolutely must forgive; unless, of course, we do not want God to forgive us.

It can be almost impossible to forgive someone who has
treated us unjustly. In this case we are to ask God to give us the blood of
Jesus. There is virtue in the blood. Ever since Jesus said, "Father, forgive
them, they do not know what they are doing," that virtue of forgiveness is in
His blood. There is enough power there to enable you to forgive someone no
matter what he has done to you.

Try it and see! Lay hold on the flesh and blood of Christ.
They will nourish and strengthen you against the difficult days of the future.

No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God
lives in us and his love is made complete in us. We know we live in him and he
in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. (I John 5:12,13)

God lives in us when we are compassionate and forgiving. God
wants us to be merciful toward everyone. When we are, God takes care of any
vengeance that is needed. We always are to be children in malice.

The fact that the Holy Spirit dwells in us is proof we are
living in God and God is living in us.

One might ask, "How can I know the Spirit of God is dwelling
in me?"

If the Spirit is dwelling in you, then you are beginning to
show forth love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, and self-control. Such virtues are the fruit of the Spirit of God.
They are not the fruit of the Christian but the fruit of the Spirit. The more
of the Spirit you have, the more these characteristics are exhibited.

But isnt speaking in tongues the sign the Spirit is in us?
Hardly! There are people who speak in tongues who are hateful, miserable,
anxious, impatient, unkind, bad, treacherous, harsh, and who lack
self-control. Tongues are not the evidence that the Spirit of God is dwelling
in us. Rather, speaking in tongues builds us up so the fruit of the Spirit
might grow in us.

We build ourselves up when we speak in tongues. Speaking in
tongues leads us into the rest of God, into the place where we are living by
Gods will rather than our own.

And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his
Son to be the Savior of the world. (I John 1:14)

Let me emphasize once again that Jesus does not save the
world merely by forgiving the sins of the people. What good would that do for
the Kingdom of God? What hope would it offer for the future?

Jesus saves the world by taking away the sin; by destroying
the works of the devil. Perhaps I am mistaken, but I do not see this emphasis
in the little bit I have learned about the history of the Christian Church.
Even in our day the emphasis is on forgiveness, not on the bringing forth of
new creations of righteous behavior.

The world is sick today, sick because of destructive
relationships. Forgiving the practices of destructive relationships does
little good if these relationships are not healed. Can you see that?

Consider the parable of the prodigal son. The son came to
himself and realized that he had harmed himself by leaving his fathers house.
He left the slops and returned home. This is the fundamental story of mankind.

But now what? The boy was out of the slops, but were the
slops out of the boy? Until the slops are out of the boy, the fathers house
is not going to be a pleasant place to be. There will be partying,
drunkenness, reveling, fighting, immorality, and every other painful, harmful,
unpleasant scene one can imagine.

It often is true that the "slops" are not removed from us
just because we have "accepted Christ." (I enclose accepted Christ in
quotation marks because this expression is not found in any of my translations
of the Bible.) It may take many years before the love of God is governing our
inward nature.

The Lamb of God takes away the sin of the world. Perhaps we
have come now to a period of time when God is ready to remove the compulsion
of sin from His people. Such moral deliverance has to come at some point, why
not now?

I know the Holy Spirit is calling attention to our sinful
practices, and is giving us the desire and the strength to confess them and
turn away from them. I know this is true because in our church we are
practicing this. We are repenting of our wicked ways and turning away from
them. To say this is not possible is unrealistic. It is scriptural and it is
taking place!

All things considered, we must be entering an era of moral
deliverance, of the purifying of the Bride of the Lamb.

Matthew tells us that in the last days the messengers of God
will remove sin and sinners from His Kingdom. I actually believe this is
taking place today.

The Lord Jesus Christ is our Savior, our Redeemer. That He
has forgiven us is marvelous. That He is willing to remove the very presence
of sin from us is infinitely more marvelous. This is precisely what He is
accomplishing in our time.

If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God
lives in him and he in God. (I John 5:15)

We know John is not saying the mere acknowledgment of the
fact that Jesus is the Son of God is proof God is living in us. The demons
know, perhaps better than we do, that the Lord Jesus is the Holy Son of God.

I would say that John was resisting people who were claiming
that they knew God but denied that Jesus is the Son of God. John is
maintaining that if they truly believe Jesus is Gods Son, then God is living
in them. But if they do not believe Jesus is Gods Son, then God is not
dwelling in them.

The Apostle Paul claimed that no person can say "Jesus is
Lord" except by the Holy Spirit. In the old days of Pentecost, if we thought
someone did not have a right spirit, we would tell him to say "Jesus is Lord."
We believed that if he did not have the Spirit of God he could not say this.

Again, as in the case of what John said about acknowledging
that Jesus is the Son of God, we may think of Paul resisting those who were
cursing Jesus. Paul said no one could say by the Spirit, "Jesus be cursed."
Evidently Jewish teachers were doing this.

I notice today that the demons will say whatever they wish
about Jesus. So these are not tests we are to use. Rather we have to watch the
fruit of the actions of people if we want to know whether or not they are
living in God and speaking by the Spirit.

We are very gullible today. This is why the "pre-tribulation
rapture," which obviously is unscriptural, has gained the ground among
Christians that it has, along with the "faith" and "prosperity" emphases.
After what the Apostle Paul wrote we should know beyond doubt that the Spirit
of God is not telling Christians how to become rich.

But American believers often are deceived. They do not love
the truth, and so God Himself deceives them. This is where we are today.

As John said previously, "No person who hates his brother
has eternal life." He may speak in tongues. He may say "Jesus is Lord." He may
acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God. But if he hates his brother, there
is no eternal life in him. He is a murderer.

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is
love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. (I John 4:16)

John, to this point, seems to have two main themes, doesnt
he. One is that we are to keep Gods commandments and not sin. The other has
to do with living in love. Being an older Christian, I realize what a mark of
perfection it is to live in love. It is the climax of a long journey through
the wilderness of life.

Yet, as John says, to live in love is to live in God.

Divine love is not something we can declare and then do. We
should obey the New Testament by being kind to one another. But Divine love is
just that. It is a power that comes from above and is greatly to be coveted.
God gives us of His love when we live in obedience to Him and ask Him for more
of His love.

There are church members today who talk much about love but
lack integrity. There can be no true love apart from integrity, faithfulness,
and truth.

In this way, love is made complete among us so we will have
confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. (I
John 4:17)

There is a common understanding among Christian people that
they have nothing to fear when they are made manifest at the Judgment seat of
Christ. This confidence is unrealistic. It is not based in the Scriptures.

If we are not like Christ in the present world, then we need
to tremble at the thought of the Judgment Seat of Christ.

At the Judgment Seat we shall receive the good we have done
and the bad we have done. Grace does not affect what takes place at the
Judgment Seat of Christ, but it does enable us to prepare for Divine judgment
if we permit it to.

It is my opinion that the Judgment Seat of Christ is taking
place today. I base this opinion on what the Apostle Peter declared concerning
God being ready to judge the living and the dead, and also on my own
experience.

It is written that it is appointed to men once to die, and
after this the judgment. I am of the opinion that when we count ourselves dead
with Christ on the cross, and then behave according to this conviction, that
we now are eligible to be made manifest before the Judgment Seat of Christ.

The Holy Spirit brings up our sinful nature a piece at a
time. Some of our sin is in the form of the love of the world. Some has to do
with the lusts and passions that reside in our flesh. Some is in the realm of
self-will and self-centeredness.

As our sin is brought to our attention we are to confess it,
denouncing it vigorously, declaring by the Lords help we never again wish to
have this compulsion in us. God then is faithful and just to forgive our sin
and purify us from all unrighteousness. The forgiveness is instantaneous. The
purifying takes a while.

There are two aspects of this Divine judgment that we are
experiencing.

First, the judgment is against Satan, not against us. Once
we declare that what we have done is wicked and not of God, the judgment falls
on Satan. We are held guiltless because an atonement has been made for us
through the blood of the cross.

Second, it is an eternal judgment (see the sixth chapter of
the Book of Hebrews). This behavior shall never be mentioned to us again. We
have confessed it and have asked God to remove it from us. This is our part.
Gods part is to forgive us and remove the darkness from us.

If you dont believe this is a genuine experience of
redemption, ask God to show you.

I am saying we can pass completely through the Judgment Seat
of Christ during our lifetime. I would imagine there might be vestiges of our
sinful nature that Christ will destroy when He appears, but only on the
condition that we have been faithful in the present hour.

I know the churches are expecting that when the Lord comes
He shall remove our sinful nature. Well, the Lord indeed has come in the
spirit realm and is purifying us. But if we are not faithful in the present
operation, then you can be certain when the Lord returns we will be regarded
as a disobedient, lazy servant.

My personal point of view is that only those who have been
judged previously will be prepared for the resurrection unto life that will
take place then the Lord appears. How could we be resurrected unto life before
our sinful nature has been dealt with?

One may ask, how about the people of God who are deceased?
How shall they be prepared for the return of the Lord.

Peter said God is ready to judge the living and the deadthe
dead as well as the living! So we do not have to worry. God knows what He is
doing. Our worry should be, are we obeying Christ today? That should be our
principal concern.

We simply cannot have confidence on the Day of Judgment
unless we are becoming like Him while living in this world.

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear,
because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect
in love. (I John 1:18)

If we really love Jesus we have no fear of judgment.
However, loving Jesus is not an emotion. Keeping His commandments is the only
valid evidence that we love Him.

We are made perfect in love as we draw near to the Lord,
looking to Him at all times, thinking about Him, giving thanks continually,
and listening carefully to what He has to say. This is what is true of us if
we are being made perfect in love.

But if we are not continually drawing near to the Lord,
looking to Him at all times, thinking about Him, giving thanks continually,
and listening carefully to what He has to say, then we love him only in our
words. We say we love Christ, but our heart is elsewhere.

The Lord loves us and wants us to be near Him at all times.
When we obey, turning our attention to Christ, setting our mind on things
above, then we have no fear of judgment. The Holy Spirit will point out to us
the parts of our personality that are not in harmony with the Lords
personality. Then we gladly turn away from these behaviors. In this manner we
remain in His love and have no fear of judgment.

In fact, the closer we draw to the Lord the more we enjoy
the Divine Fire. We develop a passion for holiness. We love nothing better
than to be baptized with fire continually; to dwell in Christ in the very
Center of Gods holy Person and will.

Gods fire, the fire of His holy Person, is addictive. As
soon as we taste it we crave more and more. We simply cannot get enough of
Gods fiery Presence. Indeed, the things of the world grow strangely dim after
we once experience what it is like to dwell in God and God in us.

We love because he first loved us. (I John 4:19)

We did not love God nor did we choose God. This is why I am
not fond of the expression "accept Christ." I suppose this statement is all
right to use as long as we understand Christ chose us; we did not choose Him.

God in different manners and on different occasions spoke to
the Hebrew patriarchs and prophets. Today God speaks to us through His Son,
Jesus Christ. The initiative always is Gods, not ours.

It is my opinion that we should restore the initiative to
God, where it belongs.

I was given the distinct impression in Bible school that God
was waiting for us to do something. No one told me that God knows what He is
doing. No one told me that God cares more about the people of the world that I
do. No one told me that Gods plan of redemption is being carefully
administrated by God Himself. No one told me that Jesus said He would build
His own Church. No one told me that the Lord adds to the Church daily such as
should be saved.

Rather I was taught that it is all up to us. Souls are
sliding into Hell every moment because no one cares enough to do anything
about it.

It has taken me a number of years to relax, knowing that God
is aware of all He is doing and is in perfect control. Why should I fret about
the wicked when God is laughing at their foolish attempts to evade His will?

How can we enter the rest of God until we are certain all
things were completed during six days of creation, and God is resting while
the power of His Word is bringing to pass everything God desires?

What then is our part? Our part is to enter that rest, that
is, to cease attempting to create our own heaven and earth, and just walk
humbly with God each day, practicing righteousness and loving mercy.

Its difficult, isnt it, to believe God is working His own
will in the earth; that He actually has everything under control, and all we
have to do is find His will for our life and do it? But any Christian activity
other than this is Babylonman-directed religion.

We love God because He first loved us. The initiative is
His. He is not asking us to be people of great faith and power, daring God to
do something that is tremendous in our sight. God asks only that we rest in
Him, that we delight ourselves in Him. If we will do this, we shall sing and
dance in the heights of Zion while the world is in flames.

"Oh Brother Thompson, you dont care about people."

Yes I do, particularly about the people God sends my way.
But I am on Gods side, not on the side of people. When Gods wrath falls,
then I trust God that such is necessary. I know God is righteous in all He
does.

The most helpful thing we can do for mankind is to perform
Gods will as conscientiously as possible, and then to delight ourselves in
the Lord. To join with people and question Gods love, as some do, helps no
one. It actually puts us on the side of Satan, who always is accusing God of
being unrighteous.

If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a
liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love
God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God
must also love his brother. (I John 4:20,21)

The people of America speak a great deal about love, that
is, about adamic lovethe love we can dredge up from our fallen nature. I
think they can see the value of love, but in no way can they demonstrate love
consistently. In most instances, as soon as there is sufficient perversity and
injustice, the human love vanishes like a drop of water on a hot stove.

Much is said in the Christian churches about love. But
again, when the people try to be obedient and show love toward others, this
human love will fail rapidly when there is sufficient evil present.

And so, our culture is filled with rape and violence of all
sorts. Murder is common, along with lying and fraud. We dont have money
enough to build the needed prisons. Our culture is not one of love but of a
grasping for money or some other satisfaction.

The churches contain numerous Christians who are bitter,
filled with unforgiveness and hatred. Gossip and slander are common among
Christiansso common, in fact, that I wonder how many pastors truly believe
gossip and slander can be overcome during the present life.

So we have murder in the world and murder in the churches.

Anyone who says he loves God, and yet hates his brother, is
a liar, according to the Apostle John. And John is writing to Christian
people. "Whoever loves God must also love his brother."

God help us! As I have said before, the best we can do is to
make every effort to be kind and constructive, whether or not we feel like it.
We certainly must stop all gossip and evil or spiteful talk concerning other
people.

As we do the best we can, and then pray for Gods Divine
love to enter our personality, I believe God will hear us and answer our
petition. But I think first we must be fully persuaded if we dont do this, if
we dont get rid of our bitterness and unforgiveness, then we can expect to
suffer from Gods judgment on us.

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of
God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. (I John 5:1)

Again we may be tempted to accept the doctrine that if we
merely make a profession of belief that Jesus is the Christ, no further
demands will be made on our behavior. Remember, John is arguing against those
who were denying that Jesus is the Christ who is to come. John is not giving
us a way of receiving the righteousness of God apart from living a godly life.

Everyone who loves the Father will love His Son.

Every person of sound mental and emotional health probably
has somewhere in his soul a love for God and a desire to please God. This is
only natural. In America this simple love for God may be removed from us
through our educational programs.

So there are no doubt billions of people in the world who,
in one manner or another, are seeking to please God.

We probably know of the religious devotion of the Muslims
and the Hindus. These two groups of people may be more fervent in their
religious practices than is true of many American Christians. But they dont
know about or love the Lord Jesus Christ.

Doesnt God see all these fervent people? Of course He does,
and He loves them. God loves the people of the world, not the spirit of the
world but the people of the world. They all are His children, in a general
sense.

Then God picks out an individual and brings that person to
Jesus. No human being can come to Jesus until the Father draws him or her.
When the Father draws someone to Jesus, then Jesus, who always obeys the
Father, will never turn away that individual.

This we know.

But the question is, why only one here and one there; or one
village here and one village there? Why not every person on earth? Why doesnt
the Father draw every person on earth to the Lord Jesus.?

The answer according to present thinking is, "Because we are
not willing to go forth and bring them in." This was the answer given to me in
Bible school. This also may be the answer that was given to some of my
readers.

So we are back in the same old bondage, the same old guilt,
not being able to face God because we have failed to go out and rescue these
people from Hell.

You can believe this if you want to, but it is human
reasoning. It is not what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches that God is
willing that all people repent. But when we read everything else it says, we
see that God is in control of bringing people to Jesus, and Jesus gives such
people eternal life.

How then can God judge the world if he works in terms of His
own will? Paul asked this question, didnt he? There is no answer to it, at
least none that I have heard of. Paul said God is the Potter and He makes one
vessel one way and another for a different purpose. Paul also said a person
may make the effort to become a vessel of honor, and should do so.

All I know is, God is righteous. When He states that a
situation is righteous, it is righteous. We are in no position to argue with
God, as Job found out. The crucifixion of Gods Son on the cross of Calvary
proves Gods love for the world beyond doubt.

So we have to leave the fairness of God bringing individuals
to Christ to Gods wisdom and righteousness. I am sure that when all has been
made known to us that we then will understand Gods righteousness more
clearly.

If we truly love God, then we love His Son, the Lord Jesus
Christ. That is all there is to that!

This is how we know we love the children of God: by loving
God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands.
And his commands are not burdensome, (I John 5:2,3)

Loving God, and loving the children of God, consists of
carrying out Gods commands

What are Gods commands, and where do we find them?

We find Gods moral law in the Old Testament. The Ten
Commandments reflect the unchanging moral law of God, which existed prior to
the Law of Moses and will be the same for eternity. The eternal moral law of
God does not change, because it reflects what God is.

The Old Testament commands us to be righteous, holy, and
obedient to God. These moral principles never change.

We find Gods commandments in the four Gospel accounts. The
Lord Jesus did not speak from His own mind or spirit but said what the Father
told Him to say.

The Lord Jesus commanded us to be righteous, holy, and
obedient to God.

We find Gods commandments in the rest of the New Testament.
The Spirit of God in the writers of the New Testament commanded us to be
righteous, holy, and obedient to God.

We find Gods commandments for ourselves personally as we
present our body a living sacrifice and thereby prove the will of God. God
directs us personally to be righteous, holy, and obedient to God.

Sometimes God gives us specific assignments. Then we are to
be righteous, holy, and obedient to God in the tasks He has given us.

Gods commandments have been in force from the beginning and
remain in force. The difference now is we have the Holy Spirit, the flesh and
blood of Christ, the born-again experience, the testimony of the Apostles, and
every other grace, wisdom, and help necessary to enable us to be righteous,
holy, and obedient to God.

God will not have fellowship with unrighteous behavior.

God will not have fellowship with an unclean personality.

God will not have fellowship with anyone who does not obey
Him.

It is as simple as that.

In the beginning our sins are forgiven through the blood of
the cross. The purpose of such forgiveness is that we might have a clear
conscience toward God and begin to learn from the Spirit of God how to behave
righteously, how to rid ourselves from all uncleannesses of the flesh and
spirit, and how to obey God perfectly and completely.

Any doctrine that does not emphasize righteous behavior,
holiness of personality, and stern obedience to the Father, is not of God but
of Antichristthe one who denies that Jesus is the Christ.

For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the
victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes
the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. (I John 5:4,5)

As you might imagine, the above two verses are employed to
prove all we have to do to overcome the world is have faith that Jesus is the
Son of God. This is not what the verses mean. They mean through faith that
Jesus is the Son of God we are able to overcome the darkness that is in the
world. We actually overcome it in our behavior, not by mere identification
with Christ, as some have supposed.

Jesus Christ has overcome the world. Through Him we are able
to overcome the forces that come against us. To say that we have already
overcome because we are identified with Christ is to claim we in our
untransformed moral state have automatically been transformed because of our
association with Christ. This concept is totally unscriptural and impractical.
It is illusory, another of the images that leave the impression we are like
Jesus Christ when we in actuality have never been changed into His image.

The people of the world know we have not been transformed.
We are the only ones under this impression.

We might stop and think, at this point, about the entire
question of "faith alone," the concept that by holding a certain belief system
in our mind we are counted righteous apart from any actions on our part.

There are some things we can acknowledge as truth which
demand no action on our part. But there is other information we can
acknowledge as truth that makes severe demands on us. In this latter instance
we cannot say we actually have acknowledged the truth, except in some purely
mental sense, unless we meet these demands. It would be as though our
acknowledging the truth has made the truth a real experience in our life even
though we have done nothing about the accompanying demands.

There are facts we acknowledge and believe. Some of them
demand practically no response at all. I am referring to these as having
minimum severity of consequences, meaning if we choose to believe these facts
and yet not act on what we have been taught there are practically no
consequences.

An example of this would be the concept that heat is
associated with the motion of molecules. You can choose to believe this. There
are few if any consequences if you believe this and yet do nothing about your
belief.

Then there are other areas of information we might
acknowledge and believe, that have moderate severity of consequences if we do
not act on them. For instance, the weather forecast might be for light
sprinkles tomorrow. We may choose to wear a raincoat or not. If we do not, and
it sprinkles, we might get a little wet; but this is not a severe consequence.

Finally there is information we might acknowledge and
believe has maximum severity of consequences if we do not act on it. We might
have been informed that a fire near us is burning out of control and is
approaching our house. If we choose not to respond appropriately the
consequences may be severe.

When the doctrine of "faith alone" is emphasized, we may
read in the Bible about the consequences of not doing what the New Testament
commands, but because of the unscriptural doctrine of "faith alone" we may
choose not to pay heed to the several warnings concerning living in our sinful
nature. We may do nothing about the warnings although we believe the Bible is
the Word of God.

There are very severe consequences for believing the New
Testament is the Word of God and then not doing what it commands.

If we believe certain information is true, and this
information makes demands on us, and yet we do not meet those demands, the
fact that we believe this information is true and factual does not benefit us.
If we do not meet the demands outlined in the information, there may be severe
consequences. This especially is true in the case of the Word of God.

Now lets think for a moment about the above verse"He who
believes that Jesus is the Son of God overcomes the world." You know, there is
a teaching today that the rewards to the overcomer, set forth in the second
and third chapters of the Book of Revelation, automatically are assigned to
every individual who "believes that Jesus is the Son of God." No actual
overcoming of sin is required. It is enough to believe Jesus is the Son of
God.

I would suspect that this teaching of "faith alone" is
derived from the Apostle Pauls statement that Abraham was judged righteous
because he had believed the fantastic promise of God. Therefore we can be
counted righteous by believing in Christ apart from any action on our part.

Before I probe more deeply into this, let me remind the
reader that Pauls purpose in placing so much emphasis on Abraham receiving
righteousness apart from works is to prove God can call people righteous apart
from the Law of Moses. Paul would be astonished, I guess, if we Gentiles were
using his argument to prove we can be termed righteous while believing in
Christ and continuing to live according to our sinful nature.

However, there is some indication that even during Pauls
lifetime people were wresting his teaching of grace to their own destruction.
This probably is why the sixth chapter of Romans begins with the question (and
I sense Pauls indignation in this question), "What are we to conclude? Shall
we go on sinning that grace may increase?"

But lets probe a bit, as I said.

He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and
count the starsif indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall
your offspring be." Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as
righteousness. (Genesis 15:5,6)

What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it
was credited to him as righteousness." (Romans 4:3)

Abraham believed God when God told Abraham that his
offspring would be as numerous as the stars.

What took place when Abraham believed?

First of all, God counted Abrahams belief, in the face of
the impossible, as righteousness.

Second, Abrahams belief made it possible for Gods promise
to be activated. We remember that the Lord Jesus did not do many miracles in
His home town because of their lack of faith. Belief opens a channel through
which God can work.

Third, Abraham had to make an effort to believe; so
Abrahams belief was an act of obedience. Therefore, what brought
righteousness may have been obedience.

In todays preaching, the reason we obtain righteousness
through faith (we think) is not that we look up in actual faith and exercise
hope in the faithfulness of God, but that our belief that God has said
itapart from any love for God or hope in Gods faithfulnessinsures the
fulfillment of the promise.

What we have today is a kind of mental magic: "I believe in
the facts of theology as presented in the Bible and then analyzed and
systematized by the human mind. It is my acknowledgment that God actually has
said these things that brings righteousness to me."

Now let us think about God commanding Abraham to offer his
son as a burnt offering. Abraham had to make the effort to believe God said
this. He could have thrust it out of his mind. I think obedience began when
Abraham chose to receive Gods Word.

Now, suppose Abraham had said to himself: "I know I am held
to be righteous because of my faith in God. I know God has told me to offer
Isaac as a burnt offering. I believe this. Therefore I am righteous."

And then did nothing about it. Would Abraham have been
righteous on the basis of his belief that God had spoken to him? Of course
not! So belief is tied closely to obedience, isnt it?

We know Abraham would not have been counted righteous in
this case. Why? Because his faith did not result in obedience. His faith alone
would not have brought righteousness to him.

Is this true of us? When we believe Jesus is the Son of God,
does our belief alone overcome the world?

We believe an atonement has been made for our sins through
the offering of the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. Our faith
activates the promise of God and we are justified in Gods sight. There is
nothing we are to do but believe.

Then the Lord Jesus, through the Apostle Paul, commanded us
to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit.

Does the fact we believe what the Apostle said is Gods Word
bring righteousness to us? Or does obeying what Paul said bring righteousness
to us?

So we see that in some instances, it is sufficient to
acknowledge that God has spoken, and then to rejoice in hope because we know
God is faithful and what He said is true, even though there is nothing we can
see and nothing we can do about it. This is true in the case of the blood
atonement.

Then in other instances it is not sufficient to acknowledge
that God has spoken. Rather, we have to prove our faith by doing what God has
commanded.

We understand then that in one instance faith does not
require anything more than belief in the faithfulness of God. But in another
instance faith requires action on our part.

How do we overcome the world? Is it by acknowledging that
Jesus is the Son of God? Did not the demons do this? Or is it by following
Christ as He leads us from victory to victory over the dark forces in the
world? We follow Christ like this because we believe He is the Son of God.

We are not teaching justification by faith today. Rather we
are teaching justification by a sort of magical application of a formulaa
formula devoid of love for God and hope in the faithfulness of God. It is a
mindset, a belief system, not faith.

There is no righteousness or salvation in a belief system,
no matter how scriptural it may be. The righteousness and salvation are in a
Person, in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not enough that we believe He is the
Son of God. We must deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him at all
times if we are to pass from death to life.

What we have today is a philosophy like any other
philosophy. It is not a living interaction with a living Person. There is no
eternal life in it.

This is the one who came by water and bloodJesus Christ. He
did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who
testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. (I John 5:6)

John may have been thinking of the followers of John the
Baptist. There is a cult, the Mandeans, located in Iraq for the most part, who
believe John the Baptist was Christ. To this day they practice ceremonials
that involve water. They are Gnostic in belief.

The Lord Jesus did not come by water only, but by bloodthe
blood of atonement. John the Baptist baptized in water as an act of
repentance, but John did not make an atonement by shedding his blood on the
cross.

John the Baptist was a remarkable man, filled with the Holy
Spirit. It is no wonder that he still has followers. Yet John would be the
first to say he was not worthy to tie the thongs of the sandals of Jesus. John
was the friend of the Bridegroom, nothing more. Yet, John was the equal of any
of the prophets of Israel.

For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and
the blood; and the three are in agreement. (I John 5:7,8)

The Spirit of God always testifies that Jesus is the Son of
God and the Christ. This is the Spirits role, as determined by the Father.

The water of baptism testifies of the death and resurrection
of Christ. We are baptized in water to indicate our desire to be crucified
with Christ, and then to walk in newness of life in the power of His
resurrection.

The blood of the Lamb makes an atonement for the sins of the
world, and tells us that God through Christ has reconciled the world to
Himself.

The Spirit, the water, and the blood all agree that Jesus
Christ is Gods Son, the Christ who is to come. He was baptized by John the
Baptist to portray the end of the first creation and the beginning of the new
world of righteousness, the Kingdom of God. The blood agrees that God has
chosen to forgive the sins of the world that Christ might receive the world as
His inheritance. All of the creation now belongs to Him, in that He has
purchased the world and all who dwell in the world with His own blood.

We accept mans testimony, but Gods testimony is greater
because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. (I John
5:9)

We accept the testimony of a human being when he tells us of
what he has seen and knows for a fact. But God speaks through His Spirit
concerning His Son. God spoke from the open Heaven when Jesus was baptized in
water, declaring Jesus is His Son in whom He is well pleased. God spoke
concerning His Son on the cross until even the Roman centurion exclaimed:
"Surely this man was the Son of God." God bore witness again by raising Christ
from the dead.

Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in
his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar,
because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. (I John
5:10)

Sometimes people argue about whether or not there is a God;
and if there is, what is He like?

My advice to them is, "Why dont you ask Him and find out
for yourself?"

People can use this argument and that argument to prove or
disprove the existence of God. Since God is alive, the most effective way to
find out about God is to pray and ask Him if He exists and what His plan is
for your life.

When the Gospel of salvation first came to my attention it
sounded like a good plan. But I was not certain there even was a God. So I
prayed that if there was a God He would give me faith to believe. The next
morning I woke up with enough faith to believe there was a God and to believe
I was to worship Christ as the Son of God.

The Lord said if we would do His will we would know of His
teaching, whether it came from God or whether He was speaking from His own
personality.

I saw this as a kind of contract. If I would do what He
said, then He would show me if He indeed is the Son of God and speaking from
God.

So I did everything I knew to do at that time that would
please God. Sure enough. My faith grew rapidly. Also I had a dramatic
born-again experience in which the night sky looked different somehow.

About two weeks later I was discouraged. I took my Bible,
opened it at random, closed my eyes, and asked God to speak to meif there was
a God.

Then I put my finger on the page randomly, and opened my
eyes.

Under my finger was a passage from Proverbs, beginning with
"My son."

My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in
your heart, For they will prolong your life many years and bring you
prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your
neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a
good name in the sight of God and man. (Proverbs 3:1-4)

Can you imagine the probability of my finger landing on
those words. Here I am, fifty-nine years later, telling people to keep Gods
commandments.

And then people doubt there is a God!

The strongest proof Jesus is Gods Son is in the heart of
the Christian. As the years roll by there is increasing evidence in us that
Jesus indeed is Gods Son. We know Christ is Divine and alive because He is in
us and He is with us. We know there is eternal life in us because we are
experiencing an inward life of which the world knows nothing.

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life,
and this life is in his Son. (I John 5:11)

The surest testimony of the sonship of the Lord Jesus is the
eternal life that we Christians have. The term "eternal life" does not refer
as much to duration as it does to the quality of life that it is. There is
biologic life and then there is eternal Divine Life, the Life of God Himself.

We can feel eternal life in ourselves and we can see it in
other people. True Christians have in themselves a deeply settled peace and
joy.

When individuals turn back into sin, one can see the death
in them. It is obvious. Also, they themselves feel the loss. It is a sobering
experience to see a backslider at the altar attempting to feel once again the
joy of the Lord.

This peace, this joy, is absolute proof God has sent Jesus
Christ, and Christ is Gods Son. Otherwise we would not have the peace and joy
that come with worshiping Jesus Christ.

He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of
God does not have life. (I John 5:12)

All mankind is spiritually dead, cut off from the Life of
God. Apart from the Lord Jesus Christ we are little more than intelligent
dust, although we have been made in the image of God.

Jesus Christ is the Tree of Life. He was the Tree of Life in
the Garden of Eden, and He is the Tree of Life, and the only tree of life,
today.

The adamic nature we have inherited is spiritually dead
because of the rebellion of Adam and Eve. The life we have as a human being
operates by means of the circulation of blood and the breathing of oxygen. It
is a corruptible life, soon to wither and pass away. There are a few brief
years during which we are strong and active. But all too soon we begin to
tire, and it is not long after that, that we are facing death.

The life of the human being actually is not an enviable
state.

Eternal life, the Life of Christ, is something else again.
It never withers and dies. It is filled with love, joy, and peacewith every
desirable condition. If we live in the eternal life that God has given us, the
day certainly shall come when our flesh and bones are raised from the dead and
clothed with a robe of the same eternal life we now are enjoying.

Because Christian people think of eternal life only in terms
of eternal existence, they do not realize it is a kind of life force. This
life force is given to us when we first make a profession of belief in Christ.
After that, we have to maintain the life that was given to us so freely. As
Paul told Timothy, we have to lay hold on eternal life.

While we are in the world, eternal death, the life of Satan,
is continually attempting to govern our personality. Every day the struggle is
between eternal life and eternal death. We are the ones who decide which form
of life will triumph in our personality.

The world tempts us with eternal death. The sinful nature
dwelling in our flesh tempts us with eternal death. Our desire to lead our own
life apart from the will of Jesus Christ tempts us with eternal death.

The eternal Divine Life, the Life of the Holy Spirit that is
in us, seeks continually to overcome the death that is in and around us. If we
pray every day, read our Bible, gather with fervent disciples as we have
opportunity, give of our means, are ready to minister and be ministered to,
obey the Lord to the best of our ability, and keep the commandments found in
the Bible, the eternal life grows in us. The flesh and blood of Jesus Christ
are continually given to us in the spirit realm.

But if we do not pray every day, read our Bible, gather with
fervent disciples if we have opportunity, give of our means, minister and are
ministered to, obey the Lord top the best of our ability, and keep the
commandments found in the Bible, then it will not be long before eternal death
is growing in us.

We will not be able to notice the difference immediately.
But just as a tree can be dying for a period of time before it is evident, so
it is true that we do not notice that our spiritual life is dying. This
especially is true if we are busily engaged in the activities of this life,
buying, selling, building, planting, marrying, giving in marriage, and so
forth. The Lord Jesus warned us clearly about the danger of being involved in
the ordinary activities of the world and not being aware of disaster that is
approaching.

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the
Son of God so you may know you have eternal life. (I John 5:13)

We understand beyond doubt that Johns various exhortations
and warnings concerning keeping Gods commandments, and abiding in love, are
addressed to "you who believe in the name of the Son of God," not to the
unsaved.

If we keep Gods commandments and abide in love, then we
know we have eternal life. But if we do not keep Gods commandments,
permitting bitterness and unforgiveness to dwell in our heart, then we know we
do not have eternal life.

There are multitudes of American Christians who profess
faith in Jesus Christ and are waiting for an unscriptural "rapture." They
"feel" that they are pleasing God and all is well with them spiritually.

But they are yielding to every work of the flesh, including
bitterness, unforgiveness, jealousy, strife, backbiting, malice, criticism,
gossip, slander, sexual lust, sometimes sexual perversion, and covetousness.
Therefore we know beyond doubt that although they feel as though the blessing
of God is on them and they are ready to be caught up to Heaven, the truth is
they do not have eternal life and God is not pleased with them. They are
living in delusion. They actually are facing a baptism with fire that they may
be prepared for the coming of the Lord.

This is what the New Testament teaches. It is not safe to
trust in how blessed the believer may feel or how many Christians believe we
can be righteous apart from righteous behavior by professing to believe Jesus
is the Son of God.

The wise believer, after reading First John, will go to the
Lord and ask for a report card.

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if
we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. (I John 5:14)

I heard someone say not too long ago that when we are
praying for the sick we should never say "Thy will be done." This person felt
that saying "Thy will be done" shows a lack of faith.

This incident reveals a flaw in todays Christian reasoning,
particularly Pentecostal-Charismatic reasoning. The flaw is that we are to
attempt to exert faith and accomplish our desires without necessarily knowing
Gods will; or when we desire something it automatically becomes Gods will.

There has crept into our thinking an element of metaphysics,
the idea of mind over matter. This idea seems to operate in the Christian
Science religion. I have been told also that mind over matter characterizes
some of the Eastern religions, although I do not know if this is true.

We have encountered this in "The Power of Positive
Thinking," and also in the challenge to "speak the creative word." Certainly
the "faith" and "prosperity" doctrines partake of the metaphysical approach.

Humanism is a force in Western thinking. The concept is that
man is his own god. His rights and desires are to prevail over every other
consideration. One can see how readily the idea that "we get what we say," or
"we get what we image," would appeal to someone who wanted to be his or her
own god.

My personal opinion is that this approach to "serving the
Lord" will die down for a bit, and then be revived with power when it is time
for the False Prophet to assist Antichrist.

From my point of view, the False Prophet comprises
Christians who are seeking the power of Christ but who are not taking up their
cross and patiently following the Lord. It is the power of Christ without the
cross, without the patient waiting on Gods will.

There already are signs of Christians assisting Antichrist,
as misled believers attempt to persuade political leaders to be "born again,"
but do not tell them they have to take up their cross and follow Jesus. They
are not reasoning with the politicians, as the Apostle Paul did with Felix, of
righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come.

Come to think of it, I have seen, in a Baptist milieu, an
earlier form of the desire of man to make God his servant as the people have
been encouraged to "go out and do great things for God."

I do not know where this spirit of presumption began.
Perhaps it originated when Satan suggested to Jesus that He jump off the top
of the Temple in order to prove Gods Word in the Book of Psalms.

Wherever the idea came from that we are supposed to use God
to do our will, or to command the physical realm, or to otherwise seek to do
Gods work according to our own understanding, it is time for all sincere
Christian people to utterly denounce and renounce this spirit wherever it
appears.

We are not here to convince God to do our will or fulfill
our dreams. The idea is not to unlock our faith or to engage in any of the
other practices rampant in Christian literature and thinking. How long will we
permit the mind and will of man to predominate in our midst?

There is only one valid will in the universe. It is the will
of God.

This being the case, it is incumbent on the sincere disciple
to lay aside all of his own plans, ambitions, ideas, hopes, dreams, and
everything else that would guide him, and concentrate on finding Gods will.
He is not invited to "do great things for God." He has one purpose in life,
which is to discover Gods will and to perform it rigorously, diligently, and
completely at all times and in every circumstance.

Do we dare relax and let Christ build His Kingdom according
to the wisdom God has given Him? Or are we going to add our own thoughts to
what should be done?

If it is true that God has completed all things from the
beginning of the world, and His Word is bringing all to pass, then why dont
we enter Gods rest by throwing off every pressure, and concentrating on
finding out what the Lord wants?

"If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us."

"But shouldnt we attempt to convince God to do what we
want?"

"Shouldnt we push the envelope, challenging God to act on
our behalf?"

"Isnt God looking for someone who will dare to believe
Him?"

"Shouldnt we poll all the Christians in the world to find
out what they want, and then all of us join hands and agree in prayer?"

"Shouldnt we pray for someone to be healed without saying,
Your will be done, because by saying this we are not exerting enough faith?"

"What if we just obey God, and then He doesnt do anything?"

"Shouldnt we go forth and do somethinganythingbecause
the kings business requires haste?"

"Shouldnt we dare to be a Daniel and do great things for
God?"

"If the devils in the way, shouldnt we run right over
him?"

I realize Christ advised us to be persistent when praying.
There is no problem with being persistent in prayer. This we are to do once we
feel certain we know the Lords will. But even then we always add, "Not my
will but Yours be done."

As John said, God hears us if we ask according to His will.

What we are not to do is to try to force God to go our way,
or to attempt to have faith in faith instead of faith in Christ. This is a
metaphysical approach and it has no place in the Kingdom of God.

And if we know he hears uswhatever we askwe know we have
what we asked of him. (I John 5:15)

I dont know if you are familiar with the term "praying
through." People who have had experience in prayer know you can tell when you
are "prayed through."

You might have had a heavy burden or were deeply concerned
about something. You went to prayer and sought the Lord for a period of time.

All of a sudden there was no more prayer, only praise. Then
you knew you had "prayed through."

I have never had the experience of praying through that the
answer did not come. Once you are prayed through you know beyond doubt that
the answer is on the way.

The answer may come immediately or in twenty years (usually
not that long). Time is not the important factor.

"Should I pray for the same thing the next day if the answer
has not come? Certainly! But once you pray through, when you come again to
that prayer the next day you will find a lightness. It has been prayed through
and the answer is on the way.

You can pray the same prayer as often as you like; but you
will find yourself praising God. The fear has gone. The answer is on the way.

When we know God has heard us, then we know He has granted
our request.

Sometimes people have not prayed enough to really break
through like this. You ought to try it if you havent already. Interacting
with God in this manner makes your prayer time a delight, instead of a dull
repeating of your list of requests.

Once you get "hooked" on prayer it will become the high
point of your day.

If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead
to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose
sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not
saying he should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that
does not lead to death. We know anyone born of God does not continue to sin;
the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him.
(I John 5:16-18)

"All wrongdoing is sin."

"Anyone born of God does not continue to sin"

Notice "the one who was born of God keeps him safe." I think
a person could infer from this rendering that it is Christ who keeps the
person safe. I dont believe this is what John meant. I would think John
meant, from the tenor of his previous statements in this epistle, that the
meaning is, "The one who was born of God keeps Himself." Also, I dont think
the term "safe" is in the original Greek.

"We know anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the
one who was born of God keeps himself, and the evil one cannot harm him."

This makes more sense to me. Notice also:

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless
is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep
oneself from being polluted by the world. (James 1:27)

Keep yourselves in Gods love as you wait for the mercy of
our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. (Jude 1:21)

"To keep oneself."

"Keep yourselves."

I know Christ has to keep us if we are going to survive
spiritually. But there is so much emphasis today on Christ doing it all for
us, that I think we need to keep clear in our mind that the individual who is
born of God does not continue to sin because he confesses his sin and turns
away from it. He keeps himself from the evil one.

It may be noted that Berrys Interlinear Greek New Testament
says "He that was begotten of God keeps himself." Youngs Literal Translation
agrees with this.

From my point of view, "keeps himself" agrees completely
with previous statements made by John.

We can pray for a brother who is stumbling, and God will
restore him to eternal life.

"If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead
to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose
sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not
saying he should pray about that."

I think John is saying merely that there are sins that do
not lead to death and sins that do. I notice in Youngs Literal Translation of
the Holy Bible that the indefinite article is missing, so the text should read
"there is sin to death," not there is a sin that leads to death."

It is not, as John is speaking here, that he is referring to
some special sin, such as blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, that leads to
death. I think Johns point is that when we are praying we can sense whether
God is going to bring the person back to life, or whether God is telling us
not to pray anymore. This happens at times.

We know we are children of God, and that the whole world is
under the control of the evil one. (I John 5:19)

Satan is termed "the prince of the authority of the air." It
appears there are thrones in the air that control much of what takes place on
the earth We realize also that the earth belongs to the Lord, its peoples, and
it resources. So there is only so much that Satan is able to do. As in the
case of Job, Satan has to ask Christ for permission before he affects any of
Gods servantsperhaps before he affects anyone.

I believe I am correct in saying the history of the world is
Gods way of proving to the angels and to people the folly of disobeying God.
The world is one great lesson for us all.

The world began in a perfect Paradise. Two people went
against Gods will. Today the earth is a charnel house of every form of
viciousness. No longer is the world a Paradise. People take drugs and drink
alcohol to escape from the world. The Christians speak of being "raptured"
into the spirit Paradise so they can escape from the world.

I suppose Satan is positive that his way is best. It always
is true of the wicked that they lack wisdom and cannot see what is in front of
them.

Before the Lord returns, people will be crying "peace and
safety." Yet it shall be as it is todayrelationships shall continue to be
painful and destructive. People are oblivious to the chaos all around them,
just as long as they are able to exercise their own will and possess their
"rights."

The nations of the world are envious of America because of
our material advantages. Yet our newspapers are filled with accounts of
murder, rape, child molestation, and corporate fraud. People are suffering,
but we are oblivious to it because the image of prosperity is before us. Young
people are committing suicide; yet our culture is the envy of the world. We
are living in the suburbs of Hell and do not realize it. From sea to bloody
sea as millions of developing children are aborted.

If you and I could see what goes on behind closed doors we
would walk away in unbelief. If we were aware of the sounds across the nation
as people sit and watch the antics of Satan on the television, we would hear
the mindless cackling, the drum beats of jungle rhythms, the screams of
domestic violence. Yet we dream on in the stupor imposed on us by demons and
also by those who profit from our "consumerism." The rich and powerful are
using us, but they themselves are miserable.

"Behold, angels and humans, the result of going against My
will. The anguish of the peoples of the earth has just begun. For the days are
coming when the inhabitants of the earth will long to die, but death will
elude them. Then those who loved the ways of Satan will stagger about in the
twilight of the age, crippled by painful sores, cursing God for their misery,
not able even to remember the peace and joy of the Garden before Satan
persuaded the two children to disobey the Lord. They are determined to be the
masters of their fate; the captains of their souls.

"My servants will sing and rejoice in the Presence of the
Lamb and enjoy the delights that only God can provide. Never again will sin
enter My creation, for My sons in whom I delight will govern with all
necessary force. Never, never again will sin cause Me to curse the works of my
hands. In My wisdom I have made an end of rebellion, that My children may
enjoy My Presence and blessing for eternity."

We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us
understanding, so we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is
trueeven in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. (I
John 5:20)

"In Him was light, and that light was the life of men."
Apart from the Lord Jesus Christ there is no light, no truth, no
understanding. It is true of the cultures of the world that we are always
learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

We notice in the oldest books of the Bible that people spoke
in poetry, or so it appears. Our language today grows increasingly vulgar,
characterized by slang and technical terms. It is tinny, frothy, lacking
strength and dignity.

Notice the strength and dignity of the following:

You asked, "Who is this that obscures my counsel without
knowledge?" Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too
wonderful for me to know. You said, "Listen now, and I will speak; I will
question you, and you shall answer me." My ears had heard of you but now my
eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.
(Job 42:3-6)

Place this profound response against the vulgar, cheap
language and ideas that we read in the newspaper or hear in the contemporary
music. How can we speak of evolution when the people of five thousand years
ago were probing the Person of God in the above fashion? Why is there not more
evidence that we are growing wiser and more intelligent? Instead our language,
which is the evidence of our maturity as creatures, reflects our debased
state.

The Lord Jesus Christ is Truth, and the only truth there is.
Apart from Him we are blind. We dwell in darkness. When we open our heart to
Him and He begins to be formed in us, our eyes slowly open. We see the world
as the insane asylum that it is, as people rush to and fro in their mad
scramble to acquire first the necessities, and then the luxuries, of our
cursed world.

Then we withdraw from this insanity and look upward toward
God and His world. We find peace, and we hope for the new world of
righteousness that is coming to the earth. This hope saves us, enabling us to
obey the Spirit of God in the midst of the jeers and scorn of the demons that
surround us.

Out from this caldron of frantic fleshly activity will
emerge spiritual giants, clothed in the robe of righteousness woven as they
have steadfastly obeyed the Lord and turned away from evil. They shall take
their places on the thrones in the air. Then shall nature break forth into
singing, and the little children play safely with lion and the cobra. Nothing
shall hurt or destroy in all the universe, because the sons of God will be
governing from their mighty thrones.

Every relationship, circumstance, and thing will reflect the
Person and Nature of the Lord Jesus Christ, and God in Him. Love, joy, and
peace will prevail throughout.

There shall be a dark area of the world in which Satan and
his followers will be confined. People shall be able to go there and see the
results of rebellion against God.

God and Christ shall be in every person of the new world, in
some to a hundredfold extent; some to a sixtyfold extent; and some to a
thirtyfold extent. Eventually every individual will live by the Spirit of God
rather than by his own will.

The victorious saints are living in this condition today as
a firstfruits of the new world of righteousness that is to come.

Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of
the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the
redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:23)

This is the Kingdom of God that is coming to the earth. The
atonement made by the Lord Jesus on the cross of calvary made such a redeemed
world possible.

From my point of view, the Gospel of the coming of the
Kingdom of God to the earth is superior to the gospel of going to Heaven when
we die.

We were not created in Heaven but on the earth. The earth
was perfect in the beginning. Sin entered, and the perfection of the earth and
its people was defiled. However, God never quits. Have you noticed that? He
finds a way to not only restore what He instituted but to bring forth the
restored creation in a vastly improved form.

All who resist God serve only to accomplish Gods purposes,
just as Satan accomplished Gods purpose by crucifying the Lord. Gods snake
always swallows up the other snakes. Do Gods will from your heart, and your
snake will swallow up the snakes that come against you.

Dear children, keep yourselves from idols. (I John 5:21)

When we begin as disciples of the Lord we have many idols.
We do not recognize that we have idols, but we do. A great part of the program
of redemption consists of putting our idols under our feet until we are
governed only by the Lord Jesus Christ. The operation of removing idolatry
from us will be as painful as we make it.

At one time classical music was an idol to me. I spent
numerous hours practicing the piano. One day the Lord told me to stop playing.
This I did and did not resume practicing for about two years. Actually I had
no problem with turning away from classical music. Today I can play or not.
Classical music is mine to enjoy, but it does not govern me.

On another occasion the Lord told me to go on a fast. I
waited until I knew exactly how and when I was to do this. Then the Lord made
it clear to me that I was to fast from reading books. This I did for a season.
As I remember, there were spiritual pressures on me at that time, and worldly
literature was weakening me, I suppose. I knew when the fast began and when it
ended. Now I do a great deal of reading, but reading does not have mastery
over me. I can read or not read as I please.

There have been other fervent desires that were not as easy
to overcome. God worked in various ways to get at the root of my idolatry. Now
I am free from these desiresfree to enjoy Gods will.

How can we tell when something is an idol? When there is a
burning desire, you can be quite sure an idol is involved. When we believe if
God were to remove someone or something from us we would perish, then that is
an idol.

John tells us to keep ourselves from idols. When God deals
with us about someone or something, we give the person, thing, or circumstance
to God. We do this as cheerfully as we can, knowing that if God wishes for us
to have this person, thing, or circumstance, it will be restored to us. If He
doesnt restore the idol to us, it is because it will not bring peace and joy
to us. We must have this confidence in God. He deserves it.

I think difficult times are approaching in America. The wise
person will place all persons, all things, and all circumstances on the altar
of God. I mean by this, picture in your mind those persons, things, and
circumstances that are so important to you, then one by one give them to God
in prayer. Tell the Lord they all belong to Him and if he wants to remove any
of them, even your own life or health, they are His for the asking.

Then when trouble comes, and your loved ones are killed or
your property destroyed, you will not be rushing around in panic like the
people of the world. Your treasures are in Heaven where they cannot possibly
be harmed. All that is of true value to you will be restored, either in this
life or in the next. As I said previously, anything that is not restored would
harm you in some manner. Trust Gods faithfulness and goodness for this.

We have seen, then, that todays Christian teaching is not
entirely in line with the Book of First John.

Perhaps the most noticeable departure from John is our
emphasis today on our "Statement of Faith." We would be far better off with a
"List of Commandments to Righteous Behavior."

The stress on a belief system, on specialized knowledge, is
much too close to Gnosticism for comfort. It is a belief system that does not
always emphasize sufficiently an accompanying change in our behavior. Such an
approach to Christian discipleship is not in harmony with Johns writings.

Our goal is fellowship with God and Christ and with one
another. Such fellowship is possible only as we walk in the Light of Gods
Presence and will.

To claim we know God, but then not obey His commandments,
makes us a liar. We cannot know God and yet not obey what He has said.

Gods commandments are found in the Old Testament, in the
New Testament, and sometimes are given to us personally as we walk with the
Lord.

The primary issue of the Kingdom of God is that of
obedience. It was disobedience that separated Adam and Eve from God in the
first place. The first two people ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and
Evil, that is, of the eternal moral law of God. They then realized they were
naked, and hid from God. Fellowship was broken. Access to Jesus Christ, to the
Tree of Life, was denied.

The problem was not the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and
Evil, because that tree must be eaten if we are to grow to spiritual maturity.
We must understand the difference between good and evil, and have the
willingness and strength to embrace the good and renounce the evil.

Adam and Eve did not have such wisdom, willingness, and
strength, and so they were denied access to eternal life. We do not regain
access to the Tree of Life until we begin to overcome sin.

But the actual problem was disobedience. If they had obeyed
God they would be living happily on the earth to the present day, partaking
continually of the flesh and blood of the Lamb of God, of the Tree of Life.

There is only one valid will in the universethe will of
almighty God. Christ obeys that will. We are to obey that will. The angels are
to obey that will. Whoever does the will of God lives forever in love, joy,
and peace. Whoever chooses his own will over the will of God, as Satan did,
brings destruction upon himself and those around him.

We Christians have been saved and filled with Gods Spirit.
Now we have to consent to do the will of God. Until we do, we are part of the
problem in the universe, not of the solution. Dying does not solve the problem
of our will. Only our choosing to do Gods will solves the problem. The sooner
we choose to obey God strictly, the sooner we will enter eternal joy.

John teaches us to confess our sins and thus receive
forgiveness and cleansing.

John teaches us the importance of love. We cannot love with
Divine love until we are doing Gods perfect will from our heart. Love without
integrity is worthless.

John tells us that as long as we are continuing in sin we
are not of the truth.

John tells us that Christ in us is Truth, and that Truth
will overcome the spirit of Antichrist that is in the world.

In everything the Lord Jesus Christ is exalted. As we are
born of Him we overcome the evil that is in the world and dwell in the Love of
God. Then we are of the Light and have fellowship with all who love God, with
the Father, and with His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.